ICE Agents Mobilized to U.S. Airports Amid Long Security Delays

Tue Mar 24 2026 20:36:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents comes as security queues at major airports stretch for hours due to a partial government shutdown affecting TSA personnel.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to major airports to support TSA operations, as staff shortages due to a government shutdown have led to extended wait times at security checkpoints. With over 3,400 TSA workers calling out sick, authorities are urging passengers to arrive hours in advance to manage the delays. Despite the operational support, there are rising concerns about ICE's controversial role in the airports, especially amidst ongoing immigration debates.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have deployed to major airports across the country, helping to fill the void as thousands of security staff who are going without pay refuse to work.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are increasingly absent, having not received pay in weeks due to a partial government shutdown that began on 14 February.

Their absence has created huge queues and hours-long wait times at airport security checkpoints. More than 3,400 TSA agents called out of work on Sunday.

On Monday, White House border tsar Tom Homan said hundreds of ICE agents had been deployed to 14 airports in cities including New York, Atlanta and Houston.

Photos of the agents showed them at New York's John F Kennedy airport and Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta, Georgia, among others.

But they were not wearing masks or face coverings as they have done elsewhere. I'm a big believer that they should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down, you know - murderers, criminals, and others, President Donald Trump said to a gaggle of reporters on Monday.

At Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, 42.3% of TSA staff called to say they would be absent on Sunday, and at Hartsfield-Jackson, 41.5% of staff called out, according to figures obtained by the BBC's US partner CBS.

Airline passengers at some airports on Monday were told to arrive at least three or four hours early to allow time for expected delays. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said wait times have become so long that travellers are sleeping in the airport to avoid missing flights.

In a letter sent to Congress on Monday, over 100 airport leaders signed a statement saying they were deeply concerned about the growing operational disruptions. The impacts of the shutdown are significant, growing, and potentially long-lasting, the letter sent by Airports Council International said.

Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said ICE agents would be at airports to help support staff in non-specialised security functions, freeing TSA agents to focus more on aviation security specifically.

Homan stated that while ICE agents would support crowd control, they would not be directly involved in screening passengers. However, this deployment comes in the face of declining public support for ICE due to its controversial immigration enforcement initiatives.

Critics, including Derrick Johnson of the NAACP, expressed concerns regarding the adequacy of the training and the potential for racial profiling among ICE agents in airports. The ongoing funding standoff in Congress continued to delay any resolution regarding TSA funding without new curbs on ICE.

The operational disruptions faced at airports reflect the significant challenges posed by the intersection of government policy, security needs, and public sentiment surrounding immigration enforcement amid a partial shutdown.