The Trump administration plans to deploy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at airports around the country Monday, more than five weeks into a partial government shutdown that has led to reduced staffing at security checkpoints.
Philadelphia International Airport is among 14 U.S. airports where ICE agents are expected to be sent this week, ABC News reported.
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In a post Sunday morning on his Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for blocking funds to the Department of Homeland Security that pay the salaries of Transportation Security Administration workers.
Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, said thousands of TSA agents have called out from work and more than 400 have quit during the partial government shutdown when they are not getting paid for working.
“Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours long lines at airports across the country — especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families,” Biz said in a statement.
On Sunday, DHS said Philadelphia International Airport had a 24.2% callout rate among TSA agents. The callout rate reached 41.5% at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and 37.4% at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, officials said. The agency’s staff of about 50,000 security workers reached an absence rate of about 11.5% nationally on Saturday, Reuters reported.
DHS said hundreds of ICE officers, who are getting paid during the shutdown, will be sent to airports “adversely impacted” by staffing shortages to support remaining TSA workers.
At Philadelphia International Airport, TSA has temporarily shut down three security checkpoints — at Terminals A-West, C and F — to address staffing shortages. The airport recommends travelers budget at least an extra 30 minutes for their travel plans, suggesting they arrive 2 1/2 hours before domestic flights and 3 1/2 hours before international travel.
A spokesperson for Philadelphia International Airport declined to comment on the Trump administration’s plans to use ICE agents at the airport and referred questions to TSA. A spokesperson for Mayor Cherelle Parker also declined to comment.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told ABC News’ “This Week” that ICE agents are trained to step in at airports and assist TSA with security.
“To manage the through flow of people and even administratively they’ll be helpful,” Duffy said of ICE officers at airports. “… We have ICE agents who are trained and can provide assistance to agents.”
Some Democratic leaders questioned the safety of deploying ICE at airports. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) called the plan an example of how the president “creates chaos for the American people.”
“Trump’s ICE has a track record of making communities less safe, and sending untrained ICE agents to staff our airports is not an acceptable solution,” Sherrill said on X.
Congressional Democrats have voted five times to block the passage of a Homeland Security appropriations bill since the department’s funding expired Feb. 14. ICE remains funded during the shutdown through appropriations from the tax and spending bill passed last summer. In addition to TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency are also unfunded.
The sticking point for Democrats has been reforming ICE with measures that would prevent agents from wearing face masks and require federal officers to obtain judicial warrants before entering homes. Democratic lawmakers have offered to create separate funding for other agencies impacted by the partial shutdown, but Republicans have rejected those proposals.
In addition to the Philadelphia International Airport, ICE agents are expected to be deployed at airports including Newark Liberty International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York, Pittsburgh International Airport and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport.