ICE deployment began Monday March 23. Trump confirmed on Truth Social: ICE will go to airports "for as long as it takes." Border tsar Tom Homan clarified ICE will cover entry/exit points — not screening checkpoints — to free up TSA agents. DHS confirmed 400+ screeners have quit since the shutdown began (revised from earlier 300+ figure). TSA union: "They deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents." Democrats blocked DHS funding over demands for ICE reform. Original article below.
The Department of Homeland Security has not received congressional funding since mid-February 2026. That means the Transportation Security Administration — the agency that screens passengers and bags at every major US airport — has gone without pay for more than five weeks.
More than 300 TSA employees have quit in that time. Unscheduled absences have more than doubled. Union officials report officers working second jobs to cover rent and groceries. Some airports are collecting gift cards and food parcels for screeners.
"Numerous employees have reported to me that their bank accounts are at zero or negative," said Johnny Jones, a Dallas-based official with the American Federation of Government Employees. "No funds for daycare, no funds for food. They just want to know why the hell they can't get paid when we have money to shoot missiles into other countries."
What Trump Said
On Saturday, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he would deploy ICE agents to airports beginning Monday — unless Democrats agree to pass DHS funding without conditions attached.
"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.
ICE agents are not trained for airport security. Their mandate is immigration enforcement, not passenger screening, baggage X-ray, or checkpoint operations. The two roles have distinct training, legal authorities, and operational procedures.
Why the Shutdown Happened
A Senate funding bill that would have paid DHS — including TSA — failed to advance on Friday. The breakdown is straightforward: Democrats refused to pass DHS funding without reforms to ICE, following the January killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two Minneapolis residents shot by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations.
Democrats want: ICE agents banned from wearing face masks during operations, clearer identification requirements for officers, and tighter rules for obtaining warrants. Republicans have refused these conditions.
The result: TSA screeners work for free. ICE, which was funded separately, is unaffected.
The Operational Risk
The TSA screens approximately 2.5 million passengers per day across US airports. Staffing shortages directly affect checkpoint wait times and screening throughput. The TSA itself has warned that sustained understaffing creates security vulnerabilities — screeners who are sleep-deprived, financially stressed, and considering quitting are not operating at peak performance.
Long lines have already formed at major airports. If the shutdown continues and the 300+ resignations become 3,000+, the operational math gets worse quickly.
Historical Context: Government Shutdowns and Aviation Security
The 2018-2019 government shutdown — the longest in US history at 35 days — saw TSA call-out rates spike significantly as workers went without pay. The FAA also furloughed air traffic controllers and safety inspectors, forcing the closure of New York's LaGuardia Airport for a brief period.
Congress passed emergency funding to end that shutdown in part because aviation disruptions have immediate, visible, politically costly consequences. The same pressure applies here — but the political standoff is more entrenched.
The Monday deadline Trump set is 48 hours away. The Senate bill failed Friday. Nothing has changed.