ICE officers have been deployed to select U.S. airports with the goal of mitigating long security lines that have swelled as staffing shortages deepen during a partial government shutdown, the Associated Press reported. The deployment, which took place as the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda continues to place Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the center of its efforts, has also prompted questions about how well officers trained for ICE’s core missions can help with airport security and whether their appearance could further inflame tensions among travelers.
The AP reported that ICE officers were seen standing near security lines and checkpoints at some airports, but that they had not been observed screening passengers as of Monday. Long wait times continued at some airports even after the officers were present, according to the same report.
Keith Jeffries, a former head of TSA security at Los Angeles International Airport who is now a vice president at K2 Security Screening, said substituting ICE for TSA workers is not a workable solution to a staffing crunch that has worsened for travelers. Jeffries said that even if ICE officers could help with some tasks, there was “just zero chance” they would be able to perform roles such as “operating X-rays, conducting bag checks and pat-downs,” adding that TSA agents receive lengthy classroom training in security screening procedures and then “weeks or months” of on-the-job training, the AP reported.
Jeffries also said airport security screening is heavily dependent on specialized, procedure-specific training and experience, and that ICE personnel—whose own training is oriented toward immigration enforcement priorities—do not map cleanly onto the day-to-day screening work TSA performs. He was among analysts quoted in the AP report who described the deployment as only an imperfect response to the operational strain at airports during the funding fight.
The AP report also cited Tom Homan, described as Trump’s “border czar,” as saying that immigration officers could staff exit lanes. Homan said that approach could free some TSA agents to work security, but industry analysis described in the AP report suggested that even with limited duties, the overall bottleneck around screening and baggage checks would remain difficult to ease quickly.
Zach Griff, author of the travel industry blog “From the Tray Table,” said he was “encouraged” by the potential for using ICE officers to assist TSA. But Griff told the AP that he did not view their deployment as a real solution to the problems at airports and said it is “much harder” to integrate ICE officers or others into baggage screening because it is part of what TSA agents do and is tied to specialized training.
The AP reported that ICE includes Homeland Security Investigations agents and deportation officers within Enforcement and Removal Operations, with both groups receiving basic training in areas like firearms and driving. The report said deportation officers focus on immigration law, while HSI agents train for longer, more complex criminal investigations, and some work within airports.
Alongside questions about training and fit, the AP reported concerns about whether ICE’s presence could stoke tensions at airports where crowds have grown around security lines. Jeffries said ICE officers could help provide crowd control for the large lines that have wound around terminals and spilled outside buildings, while he also warned that ICE officers could invite protesters, potentially pulling additional airport security resources away from passenger screening.
Griff said there would likely be travelers who would feel uneasy. He told the AP: “There are going to be people who are going to be uncomfortable seeing ICE agents at the airport,” reflecting concerns that the enforcement visibility of ICE could make the airport environment more volatile rather than more orderly.
The AP report said Trump on Monday suggested immigration arrests could take place at airports and called it “fertile territory” for ICE’s operations, while also asserting that arrests would not be the purpose of the officers’ role. Trump said “that’s not why they’re there, they’re really there to help,” according to the AP.
The deployment is also tied to the broader DHS funding battle in Congress, the AP reported, including controversy over whether ICE officers wear masks during operations. The AP said Trump, in a social media post Monday, supported officers wearing masks when arresting “hardened criminals,” but said he would “greatly appreciate, however, NO MASKS” when the officers were helping alleviate problems at the airports.
Democrats have raised concerns about deploying ICE to airports, and the AP reported that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said: “Everywhere ICE goes, trouble follows,” adding, “We’ve seen that, and it is highly likely the airports will be no exception. No one trusts that ICE is going to make things better.” The AP said Jeffries argued that the only long-term solution is to break the congressional impasse and fully fund DHS again, saying, “There is no substitute — and I don’t even think ICE would disagree with that.”
Associated Press reporter Kevin Freking contributed to the report.