U.S. President Donald Trump said he would deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to help resolve airport chaos caused by the federal government shutdown. With the partisan standoff over the Homeland Security budget bill dragging on for more than a month and a travel meltdown emerging, including delays at airport security checkpoints, he appears to have chosen the so-called Immigration and Customs Enforcement card as a drastic move.
According to major outlets including Reuters and Fox News on the 21st (local time), Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social that "if Democrats do not immediately move to a budget deal, starting on the 23rd I will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to major airports."
Trump said the agents would support security operations and also carry out arrests of undocumented immigrants. Beyond simply adding manpower, the move is seen as a bid to extend his governance principle of strengthening defense and immigration control directly to airport sites.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now on day 36 of the shutdown and suffering severe operational disruptions. Employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which handles airport screening, are unlikely to be paid even on the next payday set for the 27th. As employees facing the prospect of unpaid work opt en masse for sick leave and resignations, security wait times at hub airports across the United States are becoming several times longer than usual.
The move reflects Trump's calculation to achieve two goals at once: bolstering security and cracking down on undocumented immigrants. Citing issues such as immigrants from Somalia, Trump stressed that "politicians in certain regions have allowed immigration policy to fail."
Democrats are fiercely opposing the plan as a "reckless provocation that holds airport safety hostage." Sen. Richard Blumenthal said, "The sight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stationed and roaming inside airports will be a major shock to American citizens." Experts also pointed out that these agents have not received the TSA's specialized security training. There were concerns that an actual deployment could cause even greater confusion. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, said on social media that he would "personally pay TSA employees during the shutdown."
Political outlets reported that budget talks in Congress remain at an impasse over how to handle the Homeland Security spending bill and whether to link it to immigration policy reforms. Democrats have proposed processing airport security funding first. But the White House and Republicans are holding to the position that a deal on the entire budget must come first.
The aviation industry and travelers are urging a resolution, warning that if the situation persists, it could lead to a nationwide paralysis of logistics and transportation. Senate Republican Leader John Thune claimed, "The administration submitted a revised plan that accepted much of what Democrats demanded, but Democrats are refusing to agree."