ICE Agents Set to Patrol US Airports as Homan Warns Immigration Enforcement Will Continue Alongside TSA Relief

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are set to deploy to American airports as early as Monday, with White House border czar Tom Homan confirming the deployment will serve a dual purpose — easing mounting pressure on the Transportation Security Administration while continuing active immigration enforcement operations. The announcement came as the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown entered its sixth week, with security queues at major airports stretching for several hours and travellers across the country missing flights.

Homan, appearing on CNN's 'State of the Union with Dana Bash,' said the deployment was 'about going to helping TSA do their mission and get the American public through that airport as quick as they can while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols.' He added that ICE agents were already present at airports across the country, calling Monday's move an expansion of existing operations rather than a new initiative.

Lines, Resignations, and a Stalled Shutdown

The context behind the deployment is a staffing crisis that has developed over weeks. More than (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/400-tsa-officers-quit-shutdown-rcna264581) TSA workers have quit since the partial shutdown began on 14 February, leaving them working without pay, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The agency noted that nearly half of those who resigned had more than three years of experience, and a third had served for over five years — a significant loss of institutional knowledge.

Callout rates have spiked nationwide, with the highest single-day airport callout rate reaching 55 per cent at Houston Hobby International Airport on 14 March 2026. The situation has been particularly acute at major transit hubs during the spring break travel season, with some passengers enduring waits of up to three hours before reaching a security checkpoint.

Homan said he believed the deployment would initially concentrate on large airports with the longest wait times, with agents covering security points but not assisting with baggage screenings. He was direct about the limits of ICE's role: 'I don't see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine because they're not trained in that,' Homan said. 'There are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs, help move those lines.'

'Potentially to Brutalize or Kill Them'

The move drew immediate and sharp criticism from Democratic leaders. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries slammed the plan, saying 'the last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or, in some instances, kill them.'

Jeffries made his remarks during the same CNN programme, referencing the fatal shootings of two US citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year involving federal agents.

Jeffries further accused Republicans of choosing to 'force TSA agents to work without pay, inconvenience millions of Americans all across the country and now potentially expose them to untrained ICE agents and create chaos at airports throughout the land, rather than get ICE agents under control.' He insisted Democrats would not back down from their reform demands in exchange for DHS funding.

Homan pushed back when CNN's Dana Bash pressed him on the pace of the rollout. 'How much of a plan does it take to guard an exit to make sure no one comes through that exit?' he responded. He maintained that ICE officers were well-trained in security and in identification procedures.

Homan also made clear that agents would continue to enforce immigration laws as they deployed to terminals and security lines, saying 'we do immigration enforcement at airports all the time. So it's not going to change.'

Shutdown Talks Remain Deadlocked

Despite the escalating pressure, a political resolution remained elusive on Sunday. Bipartisan appropriators held a brief meeting with Homan on Friday evening that sources from both parties called 'productive,' though a further meeting previewed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune for Saturday was cancelled.

Two major sticking points remained — whether to require judicial warrants on immigration enforcement actions and whether to require ICE agents to remove their masks — both key Democratic demands that the White House has resisted. Senators from both sides expressed a desire to reach a deal before Easter recess at the end of the week.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered a sobering warning about what lies ahead if the impasse continues. 'If this homeland security funding isn't resolved, I think you're going to see more TSA agents as we come to Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week, they're going to quit, or they're not going to show up,' Duffy said.

The deployment of immigration enforcement agents into a civilian security role at commercial airports marks an unprecedented blurring of mandates within DHS. With over 50,000 TSA employees having gone without pay for more than five weeks, and spring break travel pushing passenger volumes higher, the pressure on the US aviation system is compounding daily.