Newsom Says ICE Has Become Trump’s 'Personal Police Force' as Agents Are Sent to Airports

California Governor Gavin Newsom sharply criticized the Trump administration’s decision to send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports, calling the agency the president’s "personal police force." The move, announced by border czar Tom Homan, came amid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing shortages during the partial federal government shutdown.

Democrats in Congress have refused to fund the DHS unless Republicans agree on a set of reforms to ICE. / Governor Newsom Press Office/X

Newsom’s Reaction

Newsom’s press office posted on X that, "By sending ICE into airports, Trump is proving the problem in real time. ICE has become the president’s lawless, under-trained, personal police force, deployed to serve his agenda — not the law." The governor framed the deployment as another example of federal overreach and politicization of immigration enforcement.

Republicans remain opposed to the ICE agent masking ban Democrats are seeking in exchange for funding support. / Caitlin O'Hara/REUTERS

Why Agents Are Being Deployed

Administration officials say the temporary deployments are intended to relieve pressure on airport operations where long security lines have formed. President Trump had threatened to send ICE to airports to pressure Democrats to approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during budget talks.

ICE officials were caught flat-footed and are scrambling to enforce the president’s last-minute decision, according to reports. / Nathan Howard/REUTERS

Political and Safety Concerns

Democrats in Congress have withheld DHS funding pending agreement on a package of ICE reforms after two U.S. citizens were killed during federal immigration operations conducted under the administration’s crackdown. Proposed reforms include banning masks for ICE agents, tightening warrant requirements for public arrests, and ending roving patrols by immigration officers.

Airports are facing long security lines as amid staffing shortages caused by the partial government shutdown. / Truth Social

Critics say the administration has increasingly used ICE in paramilitary-style operations, sending masked agents into Democratic-run cities after Congress approved substantial increases to the agency’s budget.

Local Officials and Warnings

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey warned on The Daily Beast Podcast that Americans should "anticipate" the risk that federal agents could be used to intimidate voters by appearing near polling sites ahead of the November midterms. Healey noted prior examples in which federal agents and military personnel were deployed to U.S. cities over the objections of local officials.

Deployment Details and Logistical Hurdles

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed that federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations would be deployed to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It remained unclear which other airports would see deployments; Homan told CNN that the focus would be on "airports where the longest waits are."

According to a CBS News report citing multiple DHS sources speaking on condition of anonymity, ICE officials were reportedly caught off guard by the last-minute decision and were scrambling to implement the orders. "I have no idea what we’re doing," one DHS official told CBS when asked about the plan. A former senior ICE official added that many immigration agents are not trained for technical aspects of airport security, such as operating screening machines.

The White House and the Department of Homeland Security were contacted for comment, according to reports.