Trump threatens to deploy ICE to airports amid Homeland Security shutdown
Al Jazeera • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump threatened to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to U.S. airports to handle security amid a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
- The shutdown has left nearly 50,000 TSA employees working without pay, leading to increased absences and resignations, causing long lines and delays at airports.
- Trump blamed Democrats for the funding impasse and vowed that ICE agents would arrest illegal immigrants, with a particular focus on those from Somalia, renewing his previous harsh rhetoric against Somali Americans.
- The DHS funding deadlock is fueled by disagreements between Democrats seeking immigration enforcement reforms and Republicans opposing those changes and separate TSA funding.
- Critics question the effectiveness and appropriateness of using ICE agents for airport security,
