Which US airports has Trump deployed ICE officers to?

(NewsNation) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers began appearing at airports across the country, where the partial government shutdown involving Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents continues to snarl traveler traffic.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is declining to specify which airports are using ICE officers to assist TSA agents, citing “operational security reasons.” President Trump announced over the weekend that he would deploy ICE officers to airports beginning Monday amid the DHS shutdown.

White House border czar Tom Homan, however, said as of Monday, that ICE officers had been deployed to 14 airports. He added that federal officers were in place to help Americans transit security lines that were made longer by the shutdown — which Homan blamed on Democrats.

Asked Monday if ICE officers would be making immigration-related arrests, Homan said that they were there to assist TSA agents with security alone. The border czar said Sunday ICE officers would not be used to perform specialized TSA duties, including checking travelers’ identification as they enter screening areas.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said Monday in Memphis that federal officers “are going to make sure those lines move.”

ICE officers walk through a long line of travelers at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on March 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

The deployment of ICE officers to U.S. airports comes after ICE officers were involved in a deportation operation at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday. NewsNation local affiliate KRON reported the incident is unrelated to Trump’s plan to deploy ICE officers to airports.

In a Truth Social post, Trump asked that ICE officers not wear masks when “helping our country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports.”

The president told NewsNation on Sunday that ICE will remain in airports “as long as it takes.” Speaking by phone, Trump said Democrats’ interest in cutting a deal has grown since he announced the airport deployment but said he would not accept a standalone TSA funding measure.

“Now that I did this, the Democrats want to make a deal,” he told NewsNation. “And I don’t think any deal should be made on this until they approve Save America.”

However, leaders from the Flight Attendant Union are demanding that TSA agents be paid, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that delays for travelers to get through security lines will only get worse if the government shutdown does not end soon.

The union, however, called the threat of “ICE invasion” at airports “another distraction from solutions that protect Americans,” adding that transportation security officers can’t be replaced.

The group added that the security officers go through six months of training, learning to screen passengers while evaluating and managing risks within the unique context of an airport. That training, union leaders said, includes how to identify disguised or disassembled weapons and explosives.

“This is expertise and training that ICE agents simply do not have, and cannot learn quickly,” the union said in a statement. “Furthermore, the introduction of ICE agents into airports creates contradictory missions, as attempts to question passengers about immigration status may distract them from ensuring airport security.”

DHS officials did not immediately respond to a NewsNation inquiry Monday about what instructions ICE officers assigned to airports have been given. In a statement about the deployment, DHS blamed the Democrats for the waits being experienced by American travelers “during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families.”

“This pointless, reckless shutdown of our homeland security workforce has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent,” the statement read in part.

“While the Democrats........

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