Trump Orders ICE Deployed To Airports, Leaving DHS Scrambling To Implement Last-Minute Plan

President Donald Trump announced a surprise plan to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports nationwide to bolster security, a move that reportedly caught officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unprepared.

On Sunday, the 79-year-old president reiterated on Truth Social that the deployment would begin Monday, saying the effort would 'do security like no one has ever seen before.' According to a CBS News report citing multiple anonymous DHS sources, ICE leaders were taken off guard and rushed to put a last-minute plan in place.

Trump said his border czar, Tom Homan, was in charge of the initiative to put ICE agents in airport security. / Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump

Operational concerns

Officials expressed skepticism that ICE agents have training for many technical tasks required at airport checkpoints, such as operating X-ray machines or other screening equipment. A former senior ICE official told reporters that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers—who already carry out immigration checks at international terminals—would be a more logical fit for many airport roles.

The DHS shutdown has resulted in TSA employees not receiving paychecks. / Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Political context

The announcement comes amid a political standoff over DHS funding. Democratic lawmakers have withheld additional appropriations following a controversial ICE operation in Minneapolis that resulted in the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens and prompted calls for reforms to immigration enforcement. Administration officials have blamed those funding disputes for staffing shortages and unpaid work among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees.

The partial government shutdown has left passengers waiting in long-lines at airports nationwide. / Kylie Cooper / REUTERS

TSA checkpoint lines have stretched as long as three hours at some airports, the report noted, after many TSA workers missed paychecks amid the partial DHS staffing crisis. The administration has said more than 400 TSA officers have quit and that thousands have called out because of financial strain.

Leadership and next steps

“When we deploy tomorrow, we’ll have a well-thought-out plan to execute,” Homan said on Sunday. / CNN

Trump named his border czar, Tom Homan, to coordinate the deployment. Homan, who appeared on CNN's State of the Union and other networks, said he was working with TSA and ICE leadership to finalize a plan quickly and would identify which airports would receive personnel.

We’ll have a plan by the end of today about which airports we’re starting with and where we’re sending them, Homan said, adding that ICE agents would check identifications before passengers enter screening areas and would "augment TSA" rather than operate screening machines.

Trump told NewsNation he is prepared to keep ICE agents at airports "for as long as it takes."

Official statements

DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis told the Daily Beast the administration is using available resources to ease long lines during a busy travel period and blamed Democrats for a so-called 'Democrat shutdown' that she said had led to staffing shortfalls. The White House also defended the deployment, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson saying ICE personnel stand ready to assist and urging Congress to fund the department.

Outlook

Details remain fluid: DHS and the agencies involved must finalize operational roles, training needs, legal boundaries, and which airports will receive personnel. Observers and some former officials have questioned how quickly ICE can be repurposed for airport checkpoint duties and whether CBP or other agencies would be more suitable for certain functions.