President Donald Trump’s surprise proclamation to deploy ICE agents at airports across the country caught even his own Department of Homeland Security off guard.
On Sunday, Trump, 79, reaffirmed in a Truth Social post that his threat from the previous day to embed ICE agents at airports to “do Security like no one has ever seen before” was no bluff, saying the initiative would begin on Monday.
But ICE officials were caught flat-footed and are scrambling to enforce the president’s last-minute decision, CBS News reported, citing several DHS sources who spoke with the outlet on condition of anonymity.
“I have no idea what we’re doing‚" one DHS official told CBS News when asked about the president’s decision.
A former senior ICE official told the outlet that federal immigration agents were likely not trained to perform the technical tasks involved in airport security, such as operating screening machines.
The former official added that using Customs and Border Patrol agents to support airport security instead was a more logical choice, given that they already work at international airports to conduct immigration checks on travelers.
Following ICE’s failed crackdown in Minneapolis that resulted in the fatal shootings of two American citizens at the hands of federal agents, Democratic lawmakers have refused to approve additional funding for DHS until the agency agrees to reform its aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.
As a result, the Trump administration has blamed Democrats for the department’s shutdown, claiming they are responsible for staffing shortages and weeks of unpaid work for Transportation Security Administration employees.
Security line wait times have reached as long as three hours at some airports across the country, as TSA employees have gone without their first paycheck since the shutdown began last month.
The president announced that his border czar, Tom Homan, would lead the charge to bolster airport security with ICE agents.
Homan, 64, appeared on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday to address the initiative, telling host Dana Bash that he was working alongside the heads of TSA and ICE to put together a plan for the following day.
“We’ll have a plan by the end of today where we’re sending—what airports we’re starting with and where we’re sending them,“ Homan said. ”But that’s a discussion we’re having right now.”
Homan also told Fox News on Sunday that “ICE can check identification before people enter the screening area.”
He added that ICE agents wouldn’t be assisting with X-ray screenings, but would “augment TSA” to “hopefully move the lines quicker.”
Trump told NewsNation on Sunday that he’s prepared to have ICE at airports “for as long as it takes.”
Reached for comment, DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis told the Daily Beast in a statement: “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.”
Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast in a statement: “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.”
