Trump Threatens ICE Deployment at Airports as DHS Funding Stalls

President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct airport security if Democrats do not agree to fund the Department of Homeland Security. "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," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said he was ready to move forward as soon as Monday and had already told ICE agents to "GET READY."

The threat arrives as the Department of Homeland Security enters its fifth week without new funding. Congress missed a February 14 deadline to reopen the sprawling department, which oversees border security, anti-terrorism operations, immigration services and emergency management.

Nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees have been working without pay for weeks, triggering staffing shortages and long airport lines nationwide. The TSA reported that 366 security officers have quit their jobs as of March 17. Absences have spiked dramatically, with the highest callout rate reaching 55 percent at Houston Hobby International Airport on March 14.

Major airports have experienced severe delays, with security wait times exceeding three hours in some cases. Hardest-hit airports include Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. Footage from Philadelphia showed hundreds of passengers waiting on elevators and escalators to clear a security checkpoint early Thursday morning.

TSA agents are considered essential employees and required to report to work during shutdowns, though pay can be delayed. Industry analysts warn that the absences put increased strain on remaining security officers, who might be more tired and less alert to threats.

Democrats declined to provide support needed to advance a funding bill on Friday in the Senate. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he would offer an alternative measure on Saturday to fund just the Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers and luggage for hazardous items. Schumer said on the Senate floor that Democrats want to open TSA and pay its workers "while continuing negotiations on Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

Democrats have demanded an array of policy changes including requiring ICE agents to obtain warrants from judges before forcefully entering homes, requiring agents to wear identifying information on uniforms, and banning the use of masks. Senator Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate appropriations committee, said "The American people have had enough of this rogue agency. We need to rein it in. And we are negotiating right now over how to do that."

The stalemate centers on recent deaths in Minneapolis. Two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed in shootings by federal agents during immigration operations, prompting Democratic demands for reforms to ICE's enforcement practices.

White House border czar Tom Homan met for the second consecutive day with a bipartisan group of senators on Friday. Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate appropriations committee, said the White House has added to its offer in hopes of resolving the standoff but declined to specify details. "It's a very fair, reasonable offer," Collins said, adding she hoped the two sides would meet again on Saturday.

The Trump administration says it has agreed to several changes already, including expanded use of body-worn cameras with an exception for undercover operations and limited civil enforcement activities at certain sensitive locations such as hospitals, schools and places of worship. Republicans also note that Trump fired homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and put Homan in charge of operations in Minneapolis, actions they say demonstrate the administration's intent to make changes in ICE's operations.

Senate majority leader John Thune said he sees "deal space" coming out of the discussions with the White House. "This is a pox on everybody's house," Thune said. "You've got people standing in lines at the airports. This needs to be fixed."

Trump called for ICE agents to place "heavy emphasis" on the arrests of Somali immigrants. In his Truth Social post, he accused Somalis of having "totally destroyed" what he called "the once Great State of Minnesota." Minnesota has the largest Somali American community in the United States and is the home state of Representative Ilhan Omar, one of Trump's most prominent critics.

Trump has targeted Somalis repeatedly since taking office for a second term. In early December, he called them "garbage" and said they "contribute nothing." He stated at the time: "I don't want them in our country. I'll be honest with you. Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks. And we don't want them in our country."

Republicans have pushed to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security, while Democrats have sought standalone funding for TSA that would exclude immigration operations. Republicans have rejected Democratic proposals to vote on TSA funding separately from funding for ICE and other immigration agencies.

Elon Musk offered on Saturday to cover the salaries of TSA personnel during the funding standoff. "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," Musk said in an X post.

Senate majority leader John Thune has threatened to keep senators in Washington if the impasse is not resolved. Congress is scheduled to go on an extended break near the end of the month for a two-week Easter recess. "I can't see us taking a break if the government is still shut down," Thune said.