Agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been deployed to major airports across the United States to help manage operations as thousands of security workers refuse to report for duty without pay.
Staff shortages at the Transportation Security Administration have worsened in recent weeks, with many employees staying away from work after going unpaid during a partial government shutdown that began on 14 February.
The situation has led to long queues and extended delays at airport security checkpoints, with more than 3,400 TSA workers calling in absent on Sunday alone.
Speaking on Monday, White House border tsar Tom Homan confirmed that hundreds of ICE officers had been sent to 14 airports, including those in New York, Atlanta, and Houston. Images showed the agents stationed at facilities such as John F. Kennedy Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
Unlike their usual operations, the agents were not wearing masks. President Donald Trump explained the decision, saying, “I’m a big believer that they should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down, you know – murderers, criminals, and others,” he said.
“But for purposes of the airport, I’ve request that they take off the mask,” he added. “I didn’t think it was an appropriate look for an airport.”
Absentee rates among TSA workers have surged at several airports. At Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, 42.3% of staff reported absent on Sunday, while Hartsfield-Jackson recorded 41.5%.
Similar patterns were seen at other hubs, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Passengers have been advised to arrive at airports three to four hours before departure due to expected delays.
The Department of Homeland Security warned that wait times have grown so severe that some travellers are “sleeping in the airport” to avoid missing flights.
In a letter to Congress, more than 100 airport executives under the Airports Council International expressed alarm over the situation.
“The impacts of the shutdown are significant, growing, and potentially long-lasting,” the letter stated. “We urge you to take action to immediately end the shutdown.”
Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said ICE personnel were being used to assist with non-specialised duties, allowing TSA officers to focus on core security responsibilities.
“We are hoping they can be a force multiplier,” Stahl said.
Homan also clarified that ICE agents would handle crowd control and not directly screen passengers.
The move comes amid declining public confidence in ICE’s immigration enforcement activities. While Trump suggested the agents could make arrests, he emphasized that was not their primary role.
“They’re able to now arrest illegals as they come into the country. That’s very fertile territory,” he said. “But that’s not why they’re there. They’re really there to help.”
However, Derrick Johnson of the NAACP criticised the deployment, warning of potential risks.
“They are inadequately trained, armed, and instructed to profile people based on race and accent,” he said.
“What could possibly go wrong? We’ve seen this movie before.”
The crisis stems from a broader political standoff in Congress. Democrats have refused to approve funding for DHS without stricter limits on immigration enforcement, while Republicans have rejected proposals to fund TSA separately during negotiations.
There is no clear resolution in sight, and federal workers, including TSA personnel, are set to miss another paycheck on Friday, just before Congress breaks for a two-week recess.
