House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Sunday criticized the Trump administration's plan to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to airports starting Monday, arguing the move would put travelers at risk.
The plan, announced by White House border czar Tom Homan, would have ICE officers assist Transportation Security Administration agents at airports nationwide. The deployment comes as TSA faces staffing shortages due to employees calling out at increased rates amid the partial government shutdown.
What the Left Is Saying
Jeffries told CNN's 'State of the Union' that ICE officers are untrained for airport security work and could harm travelers. 'The last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances kill them,' Jeffries said.
The Democratic leader also questioned ICE's qualifications for the role. 'We have already seen how ICE conducts itself,' he added. 'These are untrained individuals when it comes to doing the current job that they have, for the most part, let alone deploying them in close exposure in highly sensitive situations at airports across the country.'
Jeffries accused Republicans of prioritizing political goals over airport security. He said the GOP 'would rather force TSA agents to work without pay, inconvenience millions of Americans all across the country and now potentially expose them to untrained ICE agents and create chaos at airports throughout the land, rather than get ICE agents under control.'
What the Right Is Saying
Tom Homan, whom President Trump tasked with leading the operation, defended the plan on 'State of the Union,' saying ICE officers would help TSA where they can provide extra security. '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. Not trained in that. We won't do that,' Homan said.
Homan emphasized that ICE officers have relevant security experience. '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,' he continued. 'And we're just simply helping our fellow officers at TSA.'
Homan also stated that ICE officers are 'well-trained in security and they're well-trained in identifications.' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, appearing on ABC's 'This Week,' noted that ICE officers regularly use X-ray machines at the southern border and would assist in managing security lines.
What the Numbers Show
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees both ICE and TSA, remains shut down due to Congress failing to pass a funding bill. TSA employees have called out at increased rates during the shutdown, resulting in lengthy security wait times at airports nationwide.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have rejected standalone TSA funding bills that Democrats have proposed. Meanwhile, a majority of Democrats have voted against funding the entire DHS due to concerns over immigration enforcement procedures.
The White House, TSA, ICE and Transportation Department have not provided additional clarification on the specifics of the ICE deployment plan.
The Bottom Line
The debate over ICE officers assisting at airports reflects the broader standoff between Congress and the White House over government funding. Democrats want conditions placed on ICE operations before approving DHS funding, while Republicans have rejected piecemeal approaches. Travelers may see continued delays at security checkpoints until the funding dispute is resolved, with ICE officers set to begin their new supporting roles Monday.