ICE agents deployed to 13 US airports as TSA delays worsen
March 23, 2026
President Trump’s solution to the increasingly painful delays at airports across the United States caused by the government shutdown is to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist the TSA staff.
Mooted just this weekend by the US President, Monday morning saw TSA agents deployed at 13 airports across the US, from the world’s busiest gateway in Atlanta to the Sky Harbor in Phoenix.
President Trump has said that the primary role of the ICE agents will be to assist TSA, not to conduct immigration enforcement.
👀 ICE agents were spotted at Atlanta International Airport
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 23, 2026
pic.twitter.com/GBkHpIn7jD
ICE agents appear at airports across the United States
Early this morning, the first ICE agents began appearing at airports around the US.
Initially reported to be wearing their trademark face masks, President Trump later requested that they remove their masks while working at the airport. Those, he said, were reserved for when ICE is dealing with murderers and criminals.
WATCH: President Trump Comments on ICE not Wearing Masks in Airports – 03/23/26 pic.twitter.com/rnCSjQPrFT
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) March 23, 2026
According to CNN, the following airports have been planned for ICE presence today:
- Chicago-O’Hare International Airport
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)
- LaGuardia Airport (New York)
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Pittsburgh International Airport
- Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, Florida)
Although the list provides a rough idea of where ICE agents will be present, plans are changing all the time. For example, passengers have reported seeing agents at both Houston airports – George Bush (IAH) as well as Hobby (HOU).
ICE officers have arrived at Houston’s Hobby Airport to help TSA 👀 pic.twitter.com/ZKLHGGDmRv
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) March 23, 2026
Speaking to the press at Palm Beach Airport this morning, President Trump noted that, yes, ICE agents will be able to arrest illegals as they come into the country. However, he clarified that this was not the primary reason for their presence.
President Trump says ICE will be able to arrest illegal aliens at airports if needed.
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 23, 2026
“That’s very fertile territory… But that’s not why they’re there. They’re really there to help.”pic.twitter.com/WwGZx9hziC
ICE agents can’t do the TSA’s job at airports, so what are they actually doing?
While more manpower can only be a good thing, given the state of the airports today, the ICE Agents don’t have the necessary training or clearances to do much of the TSA’s job.
The agents cannot operate X-ray machines, perform explosives detection or conduct full passenger screening, such as body scanners or pat-downs. They can’t even have the final say on whether a passenger or their bag is cleared.
🚨BREAKING: ICE agents are now running full-blown PATROLS at JFK Airport!
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) March 23, 2026
TSA lines are absolutely astronomical. Thank God ICE is stepping up to do the heavy lifting, keep Americans safe, and take the pressure off TSA screeners.pic.twitter.com/cmZDDfxTA1
Largely, the role of ICE at the airports is going to be limited to crowd control. Given that many passengers are waiting in line for three, four hours or longer, having extra security on hand is going to be beneficial.
They could also check boarding passes and IDs before screening points to ensure all passengers have the right travel documents before arriving at TSA.
Groups of agents were seen conducting patrols at JFK earlier this morning, traversing the lengthy line and looking out for trouble.
In Chicago, a group of masked ICE agents were even seen patrolling and checking vehicles outside of the terminal.
BREAKING🚨: ICE agents expanding beyond airport terminals…
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) March 23, 2026
Just caught conducting security patrols OUTSIDE in Chicago parking lots!
pic.twitter.com/zKlm0gPCvD
With passengers queueing for hours, tensions at the airports are sometimes running high. President Trump is hoping that the presence of ICE will be enough to maintain order among the crowds.
Brutal ICE arrest at San Francisco Airport was ‘unrelated’
Late Sunday evening, videos began to emerge of a woman being arrested at San Francisco Airport. In the footage, the woman is crying, and a young girl in braids standing next to her is crying too.
Many worried that this was a sign of the enforcement action ICE will be able to take at the airports now. However, SFO has since said that it was an unrelated incident.
ICE detain mother at airport—traveling with young daughter.
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨💻 (@LongTimeHistory) March 23, 2026
First reported kidnapping at airport since Trump ordered ICE agents to report—refuse to show ID.
"I don't know who you are!" witness yells.
"You could be someone kidnapping her!"
Agent continue to refuse to show ID… pic.twitter.com/oJ8dNGX6uH
“We understand federal officers were transporting two individuals on an outbound flight when this incident occurred,” spokesperson Doug Yakel told KTVU. “We believe this is an isolated incident and have no reason to suspect broader enforcement action at SFO.”
Yakel was keen to stress that the enforcement action was unrelated to President Trump’s directive. He added that SFO is not currently on the list for ICE support, as its screeners are private contractors and not TSA.
Trump’s ‘border czar’ Tom Homan told reporters that ICE is simply at the airports to help TSA do their job. When asked directly by CNN if they would be undertaking immigration enforcement action at the airports, he replied,
“They do immigration enforcement at the airports all the time. Is that going to change? No.”
