ICE Agents Deployed by Trump to Manage Crowds and IDs at 14 Major Airports

President Donald Trump has commanded the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a minimum of 14 airports across the United States. This move aims to address the massive absenteeism among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, who have been laboring without pay for over five weeks due to the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

A senior ICE official informed NBC News that at least 50 agents will be stationed per shift at each of the impacted airports. While these agents will not be operating magnetometers or X-ray machines, their focus will be on crowd management, monitoring lines, and verifying identifications before travelers reach security zones.

The partial shutdown of the DHS has left approximately 60,000 agency employees, including around 45,000 TSA officers spread across 440 airports, working without pay. The absenteeism rate at TSA surged to 11.76% on Sunday, with dramatic spikes at individual airports: New Orleans Louis Armstrong (42.3%), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (41.5%), and New York's JFK (37.4%), leading to wait times of up to four hours at major terminals nationwide.

The 14 airports where ICE presence has been confirmed include Chicago O'Hare, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, JFK, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty, Philadelphia, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Houston Hobby, Houston Bush Intercontinental, New Orleans Louis Armstrong, Pittsburgh, Fort Myers Southwest Florida International, Cleveland Hopkins, and Luis Muñoz Marín in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Tom Homan, dubbed the "border czar," announced on CNN that agents would begin their duties on Monday, focusing on airports with the longest wait times. The deployment was coordinated with acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill.

In O'Hare's Terminal 3, armed DHS agents were observed in a corridor linking the secure area with the general terminal, although an official stated they were not checking IDs at that location.

President Trump claimed credit for the initiative, likening it to the invention of the paperclip. "You know the story of the paperclip? 182 years ago, a man invented the paperclip. It was so simple, and everyone who saw it said, 'Why didn't I think of that?' ICE was my idea," Trump remarked.

Understanding the ICE Deployment at U.S. Airports

Why are ICE agents being deployed at major U.S. airports?

ICE agents are being deployed to manage crowds and verify identifications due to high absenteeism among TSA workers, who are affected by the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

What roles will ICE agents perform at the airports?

The ICE agents will focus on managing crowds, monitoring queues, and checking identifications rather than operating security equipment like magnetometers or X-ray machines.

Which airports are affected by this ICE deployment?

The deployment affects major airports such as Chicago O'Hare, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, JFK, and several others, including Luis Muñoz Marín in San Juan, Puerto Rico.