As the Senate entered a vote over DHS funding, President Trump decided to spice up the proceedings by issuing a threat. Writing on Truth Social, he stated that he would move “brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports” if “Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again.” He followed up hours later, writing, “I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, ‘GET READY.’”
Per Newsweek, this move comes as Congress allowed funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the TSA, to expire on February 14 amid deep disagreement over immigration enforcement. The shutdown has left most TSA employees, classified as essential, working without pay.
As a result, airports are seeing severe delays and wait times at security checkpoints. The Deputy TSA Administrator has warned that a further delay in funding will result in small airports being shut down. Major airlines also wrote to Congress to urge action.
Airports are already stressful. Adding ICE to the mix is a recipe for disaster
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced on X that he would bring a motion to the floor to fully fund the TSA: “Republicans Senators will be forced on the record: they can either vote to fund TSA for good or be fully responsible for its continued shutdown.” However, Republicans voted 41-49 against advancing the bill through the Rules Committee.
“ZERO Republican Senators voted to fund TSA,” Schumer posted after the vote. “This is the seventh time Republicans have blocked pay for TSA. Seven. Times. They would rather hold TSA hostage to try to force billions more for an unrestrained, out of control ICE. Despicable.”
Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the airport disruptions. In his Saturday Truth Social post, he specified that ICE agents would perform security “like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country.” He concluded, “I look forward to seeing ICE in action at our Airports.”
It’s worth noting that ICE itself was not significantly affected by the shutdown, having already received its funding, a point Trump highlighted. However, neither the White House nor DHS has issued formal guidance indicating that ICE agents would assume TSA’s aviation security functions. Federal law and regulation establish TSA’s screening authorities and training requirements.
The administration has been trying to use TSA, and its very real struggle, as leverage to force the DHS vote. However, both sides have held firm even as negotiations with the White House continue, with Republican leaders indicating the administration had made a “very fair, reasonable offer.”
Until then, A TSA union leader told Fox News on Thursday that security risks at airports tied to the shutdown are likely to “get worse.” As for the reality of ICE in the airports, we will just have to wait, see, and hope that calmer heads prevail.
Published: Mar 23, 2026 04:56 am