Travelers at 14 major U.S. hubs faced a chaotic start to the week as hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were deployed to airport grounds on Monday. The move is a direct response from the Trump administration to counter mounting delays sparked by the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The situation inside the terminals has grown increasingly dire. With Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers missing multiple paychecks, the agency has seen hundreds of resignations and thousands of daily call-outs.
The result for passengers has been a gauntlet of hours-long lines and stalled security checkpoints.
Despite the influx of federal personnel, officials warned that the ICE agents are not a one-to-one replacement for missing TSA screeners. Because they lack the specific training required to operate X-ray machinery or conduct body searches, their presence is largely logistical.
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These agents—who, unlike their TSA counterparts, are currently being paid—have been relegated to secondary duties such as monitoring secure exits and managing the flow of crowds.
President Donald Trump addressed the deployment on Monday, noting that while these officers remain authorized to arrest undocumented immigrants, that task is not their primary focus during this airport assignment.
“It is not their priority while on duty,” the President stated, though he confirmed that immigration enforcement actions could still occur. For now, the administration’s main goal appears to be keeping the nation’s aviation infrastructure from grinding to a total halt.
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