As airport lines lengthen, Trump Reacts with Ice agents.
ICE Airport Scramble
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump Administration Scrambles to Deploy ICE Agents at Airports.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will begin trying to ease bottlenecks at airports on Monday, as the Trump administration scrambles to develop a plan to end hourslong security lines amid a partial government shutdown.
President Trump said in several social-media posts over the weekend that ICE agents would help at airports if a deal wasn’t reached by Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security. His first post Saturday came as a surprise to officials inside ICE and at DHS, who have spent the weekend trying to figure out how it could work, according to three people familiar with the matter.
White House border czar Tom Homan said in an interview with CNN Sunday that ICE officials could monitor exit lanes to make sure people don’t enter through them, or check identification before passengers enter the screening area to free up officers to move customers through the lines with body scans and X-rays.
“We’re trying to release TSA resources to get to positions that they really need expertise in, like the X-ray screening,” Homan told “Fox News Sunday.” The White House noted that Homan said that the plan was a work in progress and would be hashed out by the end of the day on Sunday.
Travelers on social media reported hourslong waits over the weekend to get through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at airports serving New York City, Atlanta and Houston.
The issue stems from an impasse in Congress over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement in addition to the TSA. Democrats have been holding up funding in exchange for new limits on the power of ICE officers, including requiring them to wear proper identification and banning masks.
It remains unclear exactly what ICE’s presence at airports will look like Monday. ICE has officers stationed at nearly all major airports, and they will receive roughly a day of cursory training before being sent out to assist TSA officers, two of the people familiar with the plan said.
Officials at ICE and DHS expressed frustration with the plan, saying it will distract from Trump’s core goal of deporting as many people in the country illegally as possible. They also said the move could take away from Republicans’ leverage in the funding fight should Trump’s plan succeed in reducing airport security times without Democrats giving in.
How Long Can This Go On?
It’s a factor of two competing ideas. The first is who gets the blame.
If the public blames Republicans more then Democrats, this can last until Democrats get what they want.
If so, then how stubborn will Republicans/Democrats be?
At some point both sides will seek to declare victory. My guess is Democrats get most of what they want.
If agreement is reached before the SAVE Act is officially discarded (and it will be discarded), it will be interesting to watch House Republicans discard their “nothing passes until SAVE does” bluff.
Related Posts
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I am pleased to report, the SAVE Act Is Dead.
Republicans chose to prolong the agony. That does not change the outcome. If anything, Republicans will suffer from this.
March 21, 2026: Rants of the Day: Trump Threatens to Send ICE to Airports, Cheers Mueller’s Death
Trump is even more unhinged than usual in today’s rants.
March 22, 2026: Trump to ‘Obliterate’ Iran’s Power Plants if Strait Not Open in 48 Hours
The threat, if carried out, would “likely constitute war crimes”, says Grok.
As I type, the futures are calm. For now, they dismiss the threats as a bluff.
Article posted with permission from Mish Shedlock
