The partial government shutdown began in February after Congress failed to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security
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NEED TO KNOW
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will assist Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees amid the partial government shutdown
- President Donald Trump announced the move will begin on Monday, March 23
- The shutdown, which began in February after Congress failed to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has caused financial troubles for TSA staff working without pay
With Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees severely impacted by the ongoing partial government shutdown, Donald Trump has announced a new move: Deploying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to provide help.
On Sunday, March 22, the president, 79, announced on Truth Social that ICE agents “will be going to airports to help” TSA employees amid the partial shutdown, which began in mid-February after Congress failed to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Trump went on to blame the shutdown and subsequent lack of funding — which has caused a concerning rise in staffing shortages and absences in airports as the busy spring break travel season begins — on Democratic politicians.
He also said that border czar Tom Homan is “in charge” of the move, which will begin on Monday, March 23.
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In an interview with CNN, Homan, 64, offered more insight into what exactly the agents will be doing in airports.
The former ICE director, who said he’s putting together a plan with the current ICE director, Todd Lyons, and the TSA, explained, “This is about going [and] helping TSA do their mission, and get the American public through that airport as quick as they can, while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols.”
“We’re simply there to help TSA do their job in areas that don’t need their specialized expertise, such as screening through the X-ray machine,” he continued. “Not training that, we won’t do that. But there are roles we can play to release TSA officers from the non-significant roles, such as guarding an exit so they can get back to the scanning machines and move people quicker, and we’re just simply helping our fellow officers at TSA.”
A TSA spokesperson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on March 22.
Shortly after his initial announcement, Trump shared a follow-up message about the move on Truth Social, once again blaming Democratic politicians for the partial government shutdown, which has left as many as 50,000 TSA workers across the country working without pay.
Johnny Jones, a Dallas-based TSA worker and secretary-treasurer of AFGE TSA Council 100, recently told USA Today that “numerous employees have reported to me that their bank accounts are at zero or negative.”
"No funds for daycare, no funds for food,” he continued of the struggling airport staff. “They just want to know why the hell they can’t get paid when we have money to shoot missiles into other countries."
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In an effort to support unpaid federal workers amid the partial shutdown, some airports have started smaller-scale initiatives to bring in additional support.
The Denver International Airport, for example, is asking members of the public to donate grocery store or gas gift cards, while the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has established its own food pantry.
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