ICE agents deployed to US airports: Which airports are affected?

Key Points:

• The partial US government shutdown has led to unpaid TSA officers, causing significant staff shortages and long security lines at major airports; in response, ICE agents have been deployed to assist with administrative and support tasks but are not conducting passenger screenings.
• The shutdown stems from a congressional deadlock over DHS funding, with Democrats demanding immigration enforcement policy changes and Republicans opposing those demands, resulting in a funding gap affecting TSA but not ICE, which has separate multi-year funding.
• President Trump authorized the deployment of ICE agents to airports to support security operations amid the shutdown, though their presence has raised concerns about potential fear among immigrant communities despite assurances they are not performing immigration checks.
• ICE officers have been spotted at multiple major US airports, including Atlanta, JFK, Houston, and Newark, primarily helping manage queues and airport operations, while travelers continue to face long wait times and some express unease about the immigration agents’ presence.
• The US Senate recently confirmed Senator Markwayne Mullin as the new head of DHS, who supports a hardline immigration stance but indicated possible rollbacks of some aggressive enforcement policies; he will oversee agencies central to the ongoing shutdown dispute.