Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could provide security at San Diego International Airport and other U.S. airports under a proposal announced Saturday by President Donald Trump amid an ongoing partial government shutdown.
Trump said he would order ICE agents to assist with airport security if Congress does not immediately reach an agreement to fund Transportation Security Administration officers.
In a social media post, Trump said ICE agents could also be tasked with making immigration arrests at airports.
“If the radical left democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our country, in particular, our airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE agents to the airports where they will do security like no one has ever seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
“I look forward to seeing ICE in action at our airports,” he added.
The proposal comes as a partial government shutdown has left roughly 50,000 TSA employees working without pay, contributing to increased absenteeism and staffing shortages at airports nationwide.
Administration officials said about 10% of TSA workers failed to report for duty on some recent days, compared to typical rates of less than 2%.
It was not immediately clear how ICE agents would be integrated into airport screening operations, which are traditionally handled by TSA personnel.
The Trump social media post came hours after Elon Musk offered to pay the salaries of TSA agents during the partial shutdown.
“I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country,” Musk posted to X early Saturday morning.
— City News Service
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