White House to Deploy ICE Agents to Secure Airports During DHS Shutdown

Washington (ANTARA) - The White House’s border chief, Tom Homan, said on Sunday (22/3) that agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency would assist at busy airport security checkpoints amid the shutdown of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has lasted more than one month. Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” programme that ICE agents would help with security at entry and exit points to ease the workload of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), as more and more TSA officers resign or take sick leave due to working without pay. Airports across the country are experiencing long queues at security checks due to TSA staff shortages, and DHS has repeatedly blamed the Democratic Party for the shutdown. “The chaos at America’s airports is a direct result of the DHS shutdown by the Democrats. Our TSA officers have now gone weeks without pay. Many cannot even afford fuel to get to work,” the department stated on Sunday on the social media platform X. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is blaming the Republican Party for the impasse. “Instead of sending ICE agents to disrupt travellers at airports, why don’t the Republicans just fix this and agree to pay TSA workers as we have requested SEVEN TIMES now?” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on X. On Friday (20/3), the US Senate for the fifth time rejected the DHS funding bill, putting heavy pressure on essential operations, including TSA, the Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.