WATCH: Travelers react to Trump plan to deploy ICE agents at US airports
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Travelers weighed in on President Donald Trump’s decision Monday to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at airports across the country as the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) workforce struggles to continue operations amid a government shutdown approaching 40 days.
Some travelers opposed the idea, fearing that the training ICE officers receive would not translate to airport security.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” one observer told Fox News Digital. “First of all, they’re not trained for screening. Second, the last thing we need at airports is people with guns.”
Others believe the solution is better than nothing.
SCHUMER GAMBIT FAILED AS DHS CLOSURE WAS 36 DAYS AND AIRPORT LINES EXPANDED
President Donald Trump announced plans to have ICE at airports in an effort to alleviate ongoing travel chaos caused by the DHS shutdown. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I’m a traveler; anything that helps people get through airports, have a good experience and keeps us safe is great,” a second person said.
Like other agencies operating within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), TSA was defunded on February 14 due to Democrat-led demands to reform ICE, the agency at the center of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
After two deadly encounters with protesters, Democrats have pinned their support for DHS funding on a series of procedural guardrails. These include a mask ban for ICE agents, stricter warrant requirements for apprehending suspects in public, and a ban on roving patrols, among other reforms.
TRUMP WANTED THE ‘SAVE AMERICA ACT’ TO BE LINKED TO DHS FUNDING DURING THE AIRPORT CHAOS
ICE agents arrive at JFK Airport in New York City, NY on March 23, 2026. The agents are being brought in to assist TSA agents amid staffing shortages due to the government shutdown. (Fox News Digital’s David Dee Delgado)
Republicans rejected the demands, arguing they would handcuff President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement targets. Republicans need at least seven Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to break the filibuster in the Senate, where they hold just 53 seats.
As the trial approached 40 days, TSA representatives struggled to continue working while covering costs. More than 366 TSA officials, according to DHS They left the force.
“Transportation Security Officers and other Transportation Security Administration roles critical to national security at our nation’s airports are going without pay for the third time in nearly six months,” DHS said in a statement. he said.
“Due to the DHS closure, Americans are facing hour-long waits at airports across the country. Democrats must reopen DHS immediately.”
TSA agents missed their first paycheck on March 13.
Some travelers have warned that the public may not welcome ICE at airports because of their role in Trump’s crackdown on immigrants.
MASKLESS ICE AGENTS BEGINNING TO EMPLOY AT US AIRPORTS; TRUMP MAINTAINS NATIONAL PROTECTION
ICE agents arrive at JFK Airport in New York City, NY, on Monday, March 23, 2026. The agents are being brought in to assist TSA agents amid staffing shortages due to the government shutdown. (Fox News’ David Dee Delgado)
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“I don’t think it’s a good idea just because of the optics,” another traveler said.
“I think ICE agents have damaged their reputation in communities all over the United States, and so I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think it’s going to make people nervous. They may be coming here to do really good things, but they’ve already established that reputation, and I think that’s going to stick with them, and people aren’t going to trust them.”
