With a partial government shutdown causing airport chaos, President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is considering moving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports.
“If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country,” said Trump in a Truth Social post.
As of this week, the Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than a month due to the shutdown, per the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee. Since the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is a sub-agency of the DHS, that means that the shutdown has also resulted in airport chaos amid spring break travel. TSA agents missed their first paycheck of the shutdown Friday.
In Congress, the Senate did not advance funding for the DHS the Department of Homeland Security Friday, as a vote failed to meet the required 3/5 majority. That vote was split along party lines, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joining Republicans to support the legislation.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told CNN that smaller airports might be forced to shut down if the shutdown lasts long enough that TSA agents miss another paycheck. Fox News reported Saturday that there was “airport chaos nationwide” already, following a week of flight interruptions fueled by weather issues and the war in Iran in addition to the shutdown.
FlightAware data from Saturday afternoon showed that there were 2,265 flight delays within, into or out of the U.S., as well as 126 cancellations, according to FlightAware. It was not projecting any delays for Sunday, but it did predict at least 17 flight cancellations.
Elon Musk – the multi-billionaire entrepreneur who frequently ranks at the top of the wealthiest men in the world list and was a former close ally to Trump before their public falling out – offered to pay TSA workers himself on Saturday. Previously, Musk led the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative in the Trump administration.
“I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country,” he said in a Saturday X post. Airline CEOs have also asked that TSA agents be paid during the shutdown, according to The Hill.
While the government shutdown contributes to issues at airports, ICE has also been subject to intense criticism and scrutiny this year following the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, Minn. Audacy covered recent reporting that indicates Trump has even reconsidered his approach to immigration issues as backlash comes even from some in the GOP and YouGov polling from earlier this month showed that half of Americans would even support abolishing ICE.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Trump is looking to pivot away from chaos in cities with his immigration crackdowns. In his Saturday Truth Social post, the president said that ICE agents deployed to airports “would arrest with a ‘heavy emphasis on those from Somalia, who have totally destroyed, with the approval of a corrupt Governor, Attorney General, and Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, the once Great State of Minnesota,’” referring to reports of fraud related to Somali immigrants in the state.
“I look forward to seeing ICE in action at our Airports,” said Trump.
