Tom Homan told CNN’s State of the Union that ICE will be deployed to U.S. airports starting Monday, but acknowledged there is no finalized plan or extra training scheduled. Homan said he was drafting a deployment plan immediately and coordinating with ICE and TSA leadership. The announcement comes amid long TSA lines and a DHS funding dispute that disrupted pay, and follows a Truth Social post from Donald Trump calling for arrests focused on migrants from Somalia. Airports and airlines face additional operational pressures, including potential fuel shortages if tensions with Iran escalate.
Border Official Says ICE Will Deploy To U.S. Airports Monday — No Final Plan Yet
Homan revealed that he is working on a plan for ICE's airport rollout today, with less than 24 hours until they join the TSA. / CNN
Tom Homan, the administration’s senior border official, confirmed on CNN's State of the Union that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be deployed to U.S. airports starting Monday — even though, he said, there is no finalized plan and no additional training scheduled for the rollout.
Trump first outlined his hopes to solve the airport crisis with ICE on Saturday. / Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump
Homan, 64, was responding after host Dana Bash read excerpts from a Truth Social post by former President Donald Trump asserting that ICE "will do security like no one has ever seen before," with Homan in charge of the effort. Bash asked how the deployment would work and whether ICE agents would begin appearing in airports as soon as Monday.
The president named Homan as the leader of the project, with Homan telling Bash that he wasn't yet sure what roles ICE would be filling. / Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump
"Yes, and I’m currently working on the plan now," Homan replied. He said he is coordinating "execution" with the director of ICE and the acting administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), adding, "We’ll put together a plan today and we’ll execute tomorrow."
Bash pressed Homan on whether ICE officers have the specific training required to perform typical TSA duties and on what roles masked agents would play inside airport terminals. Homan said those discussions are ongoing and that he is consulting TSA leadership and ICE management to "find out where we can fit in." He also noted that ICE has long had a presence in some airports and described the move as an expansion of existing activities.
The DHS shutdown has seen a lack of staffing lead to mass queues and delays, with airlines also fearing imminent fuel shortages due to war with Iran. / Kylie Cooper / REUTERS
Operational concerns underscore the announcement. Security wait times have reached as high as two hours at some U.S. airports, and the delays have been intensified by a partial Department of Homeland Security funding standoff that led to delays in TSA paychecks during a shutdown. Homan told Bash the administration intended to identify which airports would receive ICE personnel by the end of the day and to begin deployments the following morning.
Former President Trump’s Saturday Truth Social post suggested a more aggressive enforcement role, saying agents would carry out "the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia..." Airport operators and carriers may have broader concerns, including operational disruptions and potential security or legal implications from any expanded enforcement presence inside terminals.
Separately, airlines are reportedly preparing for potential fuel shortages if regional tensions with Iran escalate — an additional strain that could complicate airport operations while the DHS funding impasse continues. At the time of the interview, key details about scope, training, roles, and coordination between ICE and TSA remained unresolved.
What to watch next: Officials are expected to announce which airports will see ICE personnel and provide deployment details; lawmakers, airport authorities, and civil liberties groups may press for clarity on roles, oversight and legal limits on enforcement inside airports.
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