President Donald Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist with airport security starting Monday if Congress does not reach a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This move comes amid a 40-day partial government shutdown that has left Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers without pay, causing long lines at major airports. The Senate rejected a motion by Democrats to take up legislation to reopen TSA and pay workers who are now going without paychecks.
Key Takeaways
President Donald Trump ordered ICE agents to assist with airport security starting Monday if Congress fails to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This move comes amid a 40-day partial government shutdown that has left TSA workers without pay, causing long lines at major airports. The Senate rejected a motion by Democrats to take up legislation to reopen TSA and pay workers who are now going without paychecks.
- President Trump ordered ICE agents to assist with airport security starting Monday
- 40-day partial government shutdown leaves TSA workers without pay, causing long lines at major airports
- Senate rejected a motion by Democrats to take up legislation to reopen TSA and pay workers who are now going without paychecks
- More than 3,200 TSA employees called out from their Monday shifts and over 450 have quit nationwide due to the shutdown
The DHS shutdown began after Congress failed to agree on a funding bill. Democrats demand reforms to ICE following recent clashes in Minneapolis that resulted in the deaths of two protesters. The shutdown has led to increased call-out rates among TSA employees, with more than 3,200 calling out from their Monday shifts and over 450 having quit since last month.
President Trump announced on Truth Social that ICE agents would handle airport security and arrest illegal immigrants. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) accused Democrats of blocking Homeland Security funding and not engaging in negotiations over the last several weeks. According to CBS News, a bipartisan group of senators met with DHS border czar Tom Homan last night to discuss additional immigration enforcement concessions made by the White House on Friday in an attempt to end the partial government shutdown.
The Senate advanced a deal to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the early hours of Friday morning, 42 days into the shutdown. However, Republicans argue that they need to fund all parts of DHS, not just certain ones. ICE agents have already been deployed to airports in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Newark, and New York’s John F Kennedy but not Dallas Love Field or DFW International Airport due to shorter lines.
The TSA's acting administrator warned that the agency may have to shut down operations at some airports as travelers experience record wait times. The acting head described the mounting hardships facing unpaid airport workers, including bills and eviction notices piling up and even plasma donations to make ends meet. She testified at a House hearing, warning of potential airport closures if callout rates continue to increase.
The latest proposal would fund most of Homeland Security except for the enforcement and removal operations of ICE that have been central to the debate. The plan would cover other aspects of ICE as well as Customs and Border Protection. Although the offer added some new restraints on immigration officers, including the use of body cameras, it excluded other policies that Democrats have demanded.
The acting TSA administrator told lawmakers that multiple airports are experiencing greater than 40% callout rates and more than 480 transportation security officers have quit during the shutdown. She cited the growing financial strain on the TSA workforce, including some sleeping in their cars, selling blood and plasma, and taking second jobs to make ends meet.
The top executive overseeing Houston’s airport said security lines that left travelers waiting four hours or more could get longer if the political impasse was not soon settled. Trump's decision to send ICE agents to the airports risks inflaming the situation, lawmakers have said.
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