Border czar says ICE may not leave airports once TSA officers are paid
Border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will remain at airports until TSA agents are able to resume normal operations.
“We’re going to maintain an ICE presence there, and until the airports feel 100%, you know, in a position where they can do normal operations,” Homan said in an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “So if fewer TSA agents come back, that means we’ll keep more ICE agents there.”
His comments come days after President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to pay Transportation Security Administration agents as the partial shutdown continues. Homan said in a separate interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that TSA agents will “hopefully” be paid by Monday or Tuesday.
When asked on CNN whether ICE agents would leave airports once TSA agents start getting paid, Homan said, “We’ll see.” »
“It depends on how many TSA agents are coming back to work, how many TSA agents are actually quitting and don’t intend to come back to work. I work very closely with the TSA administrator and the ICE director to decide which airport needs what,” he said.
“God bless the men and women of ICE,” Homan continued, saying ICE agents were “plugging these holes” at airports. Homan said ICE agents help with tasks such as identity checks and protecting exit routes.
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About 500 TSA workers have resigned since the shutdown began, according to DHS. Additionally, thousands of TSA workers called for unemployment as the shutdown dragged on and TSA employees were left without paychecks. The shortages have led to long wait times at security checkpoints across the country, with some of the hardest-hit airports experiencing hours-long queues.
A senior TSA official told Congress last week that it takes about four to six months to train transportation security officers.
House Republicans on Friday passed a short-term DHS funding bill that did not receive enough support in the Senate to become law. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rejected a Senate-passed bill that would have funded all of DHS except for immigration enforcement and deportation operations.
The DHS shutdown on Sunday became the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history, and there is no clear path forward for funding the department.
