Travel nightmare deepens as Trump taps ICE
New York Post • • general
Key Points:
- California airports, particularly San Diego International, experienced severe flight delays and two-hour TSA checkpoint waits due to a nearly 40-day Homeland Security funding shutdown impacting staffing.
- Governor Gavin Newsom criticized President Trump's plan to deploy ICE agents to airports to fill TSA staffing gaps, calling it a deployment of a "lawless, under-trained, personal police force," though he did not specify actions if ICE agents arrive.
- TSA agents expressed strong opposition to ICE involvement at checkpoints, citing concerns about interference and lack of proper training for security screening roles.
- Despite widespread delays and cancellations at major hubs like San Francisco and Los Angeles, LAX managed smoother TSA processing due to better infrastructure and automated lanes.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that TSA staffing shortages and resulting travel disruptions are expected to worsen in the coming days as more agents call out amid the ongoing shutdown.
