Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could remain at U.S. airports even after Transportation Security Administration workers receive their paychecks, according to White House border czar Tom Homan. Asked if ICE agents will leave airports once TSA workers begin receiving pay again, Homan said on Sunday 'we'll see.'
The uncertainty depends on how many TSA agents come back to work and how many have quit with no plan of returning, Homan told CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper. The comments came as Congress remains deadlocked on funding the Department of Homeland Security, now in its sixth week of partial shutdown.
Homan said he spoke with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and that there is a plan to get TSA workers paid 'hopefully by tomorrow or Tuesday.' A DHS social media post on Friday indicated TSA had begun the process of paying its workforce and that paychecks could arrive as early as Monday, following a presidential memo ordering workers paid from existing funds.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative Republicans have largely supported the ICE deployment, framing it as a necessary response to TSA staffing shortages that were creating security vulnerabilities and unacceptable wait times for travelers. Republican lawmakers have blamed Democrats in Congress for failing to pass a funding bill, saying the situation was preventable.
The Trump administration has emphasized that ICE officers have been assisting TSA by checking identification and plugging other security gaps, allowing remaining workers to focus on tasks requiring more training. Supporters say this represents appropriate use of federal resources during a crisis and that the administration acted quickly to protect travelers.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats and immigrant rights advocates have expressed concern about the expanded ICE presence at airports, arguing that visible law enforcement at security checkpoints could create a climate of fear for travelers. Some Democratic lawmakers have called for clarity on the legal authority guiding ICE's airport deployment and whether additional resources are being diverted from immigration enforcement priorities.
Congressional Democrats have also criticized the administration for allowing the DHS funding impasse to persist, arguing that hundreds of thousands of federal workers should not be used as leverage in budget negotiations. Several progressive advocacy groups have called for a clean continuing resolution to fund DHS without policy riders.
What the Numbers Show
About 50,000 transportation security workers have been forced to continue working without pay during the DHS shutdown, missing multiple paychecks. More than 480 TSA workers have quit since the funding impasse began, according to TSA Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill.
Worker absences reached as high as 40% at some airports, leading to wait times exceeding four hours at major hubs like George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. However, Homan said wait lines decreased by approximately half in Houston after ICE officers were deployed, with additional agents sent to Baltimore-Washington International.
The Senate returns from recess on April 13, with the House returning April 14. It remains unclear where the funding will come from to continue paying TSA workers long-term, as Congress has not allocated new money amid the ongoing impasse.
The Bottom Line
The future of the ICE presence at airports remains uncertain pending the resolution of the DHS funding debate and the return of TSA workers to their positions. Travelers should continue to expect longer than normal wait times at security checkpoints, though the situation has improved since ICE officers began assisting last week. The next opportunity for congressional action comes when lawmakers return from their Easter recess in mid-April.