President Trump has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to major airports nationwide as a partial government shutdown leaves Transportation Security Administration workers without paychecks, and thousands abandon their posts.

TSA Staffing Crisis Forces Federal Response

Since Department of Homeland Security funding lapsed in mid-February, more than 480 TSA employees have quit their jobs, with thousands more calling out daily, according to TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill. The unprecedented staffing shortage threatened to cripple airport security operations across the country. Meanwhile, ICE operations continue unaffected thanks to a separate $75 billion allocation Congress approved last summer, making the agency uniquely positioned to provide emergency support during the crisis.

Expanding Federal Enforcement Authority

Created in 2003 as part of DHS, ICE possesses broad authority to question, search, and arrest individuals suspected of illegal immigration status without warrants. The agency can issue arrest warrants, detain and deport people living in the United States illegally, and make arrests under any criminal statute when witnessing crimes. Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary at DHS, stated ICE agents will guard entrances and exits, assist with logistics, control crowds, and verify identification using TSA equipment and standard procedures.

Questions About Dual Mission

White House border czar Tom Homan leads the new airport deployment program, raising concerns about whether agents will prioritize passenger screening assistance or immigration enforcement. Hiroshi Motomura, co-director of UCLA’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy, warned that ICE’s separate funding and expanded operations transform it into a police force operating under aggressive border-style rules inside the United States. The agency has drawn criticism for confrontational tactics, including deploying masked, plainclothes officers for arrests and detentions of suspected undocumented individuals.

Constitutional Concerns Mount

Legal experts question the long-term implications of deploying immigration enforcement personnel in civilian security roles. Paul Ong, director of UCLA’s Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, explained that while ICE agents cannot perform TSA screening functions, they can facilitate passenger processing. The arrangement places federally funded immigration officers in daily contact with millions of American travelers, potentially expanding enforcement operations beyond traditional immigration targets into general law enforcement activities at transportation hubs nationwide.