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By Billal Rahman and Steve Mollman
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President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports around the country amid a prolonged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding impasse has drawn sharp criticism from a former ICE official who spoke to Newsweek.
The Trump administration says the plan is intended to ease mounting congestion at airport checkpoints as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers face staffing shortages after weeks of working without pay.
The former ICE official shared the following statement with Newsweek on condition of anonymity to avoid professional repercussions:
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As a former official with direct experience in immigration enforcement and aviation security operations, I find the president’s plan to deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports profoundly misguided and reckless. TSA officers receive specialized, intensive training in passenger screening, threat detection, and the use of advanced equipment training that ICE personnel, despite their excellence in interior enforcement, do not possess.
Redirecting ICE agents from their current, highly effective operations where they maintain a proven rhythm in arresting and detaining those unlawfully present would undermine both airport security standards and nationwide immigration priorities.
This is not a solution to staffing challenges; it is a dangerous improvisation that risks public safety and operational integrity for political leverage. The administration should resolve the funding impasse through negotiation, not by repurposing specialized agents in a role for which they are unprepared.
Newsweek reached out to the DHS and to the White House on Sunday and has included their responses below.
What To Know
Trump announced over the weekend that ICE agents would begin deploying to major U.S. airports starting Monday, following days of widely reported long lines at TSA checkpoints during spring break travel. The delays stem from a partial DHS shutdown that has left thousands of TSA officers working without pay, prompting resignations and absenteeism. The TSA is overseen by the DHS.
On Truth Social, Trump said ICE agents would “do the job far better than ever done before” and blamed Democrats for refusing to approve DHS funding.
White House border czar Tom Homan sought to clarify the plan on Sunday, telling CNN’s Dana Bash on State of the Union that ICE agents will be at airports more in a support role for TSA.
“We’re simply there to help TSA do their job in areas that don’t need their specialized expertise, such as screening through the X-ray machine. Not trained in that? We won’t do that,” Homan said. “But there are roles we can play to release TSA officers from the non-significant roles, such as guarding an exit so they can get back to the scanning machines and move people quicker.”
Following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, Democrats have withheld support for a full funding bill for the DHS, saying they want additional guardrails in place first. Those include expanded use of body‑worn cameras, limits on enforcement actions at sensitive locations, and clearer oversight standards. Republicans and the White House argue DHS should be funded in full without separating immigration agencies from the rest of the department, warning the impasse has left TSA and other non‑immigration components operating without pay as talks continue.
A bill to restore DHS funding failed to advance in the Senate on Friday, despite support from all Republicans present and one Democrat, John Fetterman, who has also broken ranks with his party by supporting the practice of ICE agents wearing masks that help conceal their identities. On Saturday, Fetterman praised Elon Musk for offering to pay TSA salaries during the partial shutdown.
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What People Are Saying
Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, in an email to Newsweek on Sunday: “Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours long lines at airports across the country—especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families. This pointless, reckless shutdown of our homeland security workforce has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent. While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted. This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in an email to Newsweek on Sunday: “The men and women of ICE are always prepared to help keep our country safe, especially in the midst of the Democrat-created chaos at airports around the country. Americans are missing flights and hardworking TSA employees are missing paychecks—with over 400 TSA employees outright quitting. Democrats could stop this all today by funding the Department.”
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, in a statement shared with Newsweek: "Every time Donald Trump gets involved, he creates chaos for the American people. This latest proposal is no different. Trump’s ICE has a track record of making communities less safe, and sending untrained ICE agents to staff our airports is not an acceptable solution. Instead, it’s time for Donald Trump and Washington Republicans to do their jobs and fund TSA."
Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, wrote on X on Thursday: “Today, I took to the Senate floor to try to pass funding for TSA. My Republican colleagues said no. They are holding all the other Homeland Security agencies hostage because of ICE. Set ICE aside while we negotiate reforms. Fund everything else today.”
Vice President JD Vance wrote on X on Sunday: “We’ve all seen the chaos unleashed by Democrats at airports across the country. It’s preposterous that Chuck Schumer continues to hold TSA funding hostage. Thankfully, ICE will bring sanity to our airports starting tomorrow, but it’s far past time for Democrats to fund DHS.”
What Happens Next
In regard to ICE deployment, Homan said on State of the Union that a plan will be decided by the end of the day about "what airports we're starting with and where we're sending them" and that a "well-thought out" plan would be executed.
Pressed on how well-thought out the plan could be in under 24 hours, Homan told host Dana Bash that ICE "has been at airports across the country for a long time. It's just expanding those things."
Meanwhile, DHS funding negotiations remain stalled, with no clear timeline for resolving the shutdown.
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