President Trump announced the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel to U.S. airports starting March 23 to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) amid a severe staffing shortage.

The announcement was made on Truth Social as the partial government shutdown continues, forcing many TSA employees to work without pay, leading to increased call-outs and long wait times at airports.

Donald Trump stated that ICE will provide operational support, particularly at airports experiencing wait times of up to 3 hours.

Tom Homan confirmed the plan, stating that ICE forces will be on-site starting March 23 to help coordinate passengers and monitor non-security screening areas so that the TSA can focus on its core mission.

According to the initial plan, ICE agents will not participate directly in security screenings but will take on roles supporting passenger flow, monitoring exits, and managing auxiliary areas within the airports.

Speaking on CNN, Homan mentioned that deployment details are still being finalized, including the specific number of personnel and the list of priority airports.

The move follows President Trump's previous warnings that he would send ICE to airports if Congress failed to reach an agreement on the aviation security budget.

However, the proposal has met with pushback from Democrats. Representative Hakeem Jeffries argued that ICE is not trained for TSA duties, which could create operational security risks.

Beyond the goal of reducing congestion, President Trump also emphasized that ICE forces could expand immigration enforcement activities at airports, including the arrest of undocumented immigrants.

The current situation at many major airports shows mounting pressure, as TSA staff are still working under conditions where they haven't received paychecks since mid-February.

Budget negotiations between the two parties have yet to reach a final result. The Senate continues to debate options for funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned that if the stalemate persists, airport overcrowding could become even more severe in the coming days.

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