NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Armed federal immigration officers in tactical gear at some of the busiest U.S. airports Monday, standing near security lines and checkpoints after President Donald Trump during a partial government shutdown that has disrupted air travel nationwide.
The Trump administration said they would supplement Transportation Security Administration staffing at certain airports but provided few details about . Still, after intensified immigration enforcement and protests in cities across the country over the past year, their presence has unsettled some travelers and raised new questions.
On Monday, Associated Press journalists observed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents patrolling terminals and lingering near long lines of passengers at Hartsfield鈥揓ackson Atlanta International, John F. Kennedy International in New York, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, George Bush Intercontinental in Houston and Louis Armstrong International outside New Orleans. A handful of other airports 鈥� including Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International 鈥� also confirmed ICE would be on-site. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his office was monitoring the deployment of federal officers at O鈥橦are International.
Federal law enforcement officers are a routine presence at international airports. Customs and Border Protection officers screen arriving passengers, and Homeland Security Investigations agents conduct criminal inquiries tied to cross-border activity. But immigration agents are rarely visible at TSA checkpoints, the front line of domestic air travel.
ICE deployments arrive amid ongoing Washington impasse
Monday鈥檚 deployments came as , including from the TSA, have since last month.
Funding for the department lapsed Feb. 14, when Democrats refused to fund ICE as well as Customs and Border Protection without changes to their operations after federal officers shot and killed and in Minneapolis. But, while routine funding used to pay TSA agents has lapsed, ICE and other immigration enforcement personnel are still receiving paychecks amid the shutdown 鈥� a result of Trump鈥檚 big tax cuts bill that .
Meanwhile, the budget stalemate impacting TSA only deepened as Trump rejected the latest offer, this one from his own Republican Party, after a weekend of negotiations.
White House staff pitched Trump on the idea of funding DHS, except for immigration operations that have been central to the dispute, according to a person a familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. Still, Trump rejected that plan and later escalated his demands that senators also approve the so-called , a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill that has essentially no chance in the Congress.
鈥淭SA is grateful to our DHS brothers and sisters at ICE for stepping up to support our officers, but there鈥檚 only one guaranteed way to end the chaos at America鈥檚 airports: Democrats must come back to the table and fully fund DHS,鈥� TSA said in a statement posted to social media Monday.
On Monday, the White House also turned down a request from top Democratic negotiator, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, to meet and continue talks, according to another person granted anonymity to discuss the private conversations.
Democrats are to federal immigration operations 鈥� including policy changes that would require ICE officers to get a warrant from a judge before forcefully entering homes, to no longer allow officers to wear masks and to require that they provide clear identifying information on uniforms.
Unlike many recent immigration operations in U.S. cities, where federal agents have often worn face coverings, ICE officers at airports appeared to be largely not masked Monday, following an earlier direction by Trump.
Fears that the deployments will heighten tension
Some fear that positioning federal immigration officers at security checkpoints will only escalate tensions. Union leaders representing aviation workers stressed that ICE officers don鈥檛 have the same training and expertise as TSA workers.
Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees 鈥� which represents TSA officers 鈥� said in a statement that his members 鈥渄eserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.鈥�
Whether ICE will have a more sweeping role beyond watching long lines and patrolling terminals has yet to be seen. On Sunday, Trump said federal immigration officers could guard exit lanes or check passenger IDs. The president has since suggested he could deploy the National Guard at airports too.
ICE and TSA have been 鈥渨orking together so far very well,鈥� Trump said at Monday in Memphis. Still, he said he would 鈥渂ring out the National Guard鈥� if more personnel is needed.
Long wait times persisted at some major hubs Monday.
Atlanta鈥檚 Hartsfield鈥揓ackson, for example, is still urging passengers to allow at least four hours for both domestic and international screenings. The check-in line for departing passengers was so long Monday that it snaked from the TSA screening area to the atrium, through the baggage claim and out the entrance doors with people in back of the line waiting outside. ICE officers were patrolling the terminal area, but not seen checking IDs or otherwise interacting with passengers.
Donna Troupe, who was flying from Atlanta to Miami, said she didn鈥檛 take issue with ICE鈥檚 presence at the airport 鈥� but also wasn鈥檛 sure how much they were needed. 鈥淲hen I鈥檝e seen them, they鈥檝e just been standing around talking,鈥� she said.
Meanwhile, Daniela Dominguez, another traveler in Atlanta who was headed to Miami, said she was concerned that for some seeing ICE would be unnerving.
鈥淚 bet a lot of people have a lot of anxiety coming to the airport,鈥� Dominguez said.
In New Orleans, John Hoffman arrived to the airport five hours before his flight to Spokane, Washington, after missing his trip the day before. He said security lines seemed to be moving quicker Monday as federal officers monitored lines 鈥� still, he questioned whether was worth the travel and lodging expenses to deploy ICE officers to various airports.
Beyond TSA operations, many travelers on the East Coast faced additional disruptions that killed two people and injured dozens of others on the runway of New York鈥檚 LaGuardia Airport. LaGuardia was as air traffic was diverted.
TSA workers have been going without pay
After weeks of missed paychecks, many TSA agents have called in sick 鈥� or 鈥� as financial strains pile up. The have forced some airports to close checkpoints at times, with for travelers.
TSA call-out rates climbed over the weekend. Nationwide on Sunday, 11.8% of TSA agents missed work 鈥� the highest rate of the shutdown so far 鈥� with over 3,450 officers calling out, according to DHS. More than 400 officers have quit during the shutdown, the department said.
Some have accused the government of using TSA workers as pawns in the ongoing budget fight. And aviation unions have raised additional safety concerns in light of the Trump administration鈥檚 deployment of ICE officers.
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Associated Press journalists Lisa Mascaro, Seung Min Kim and Tia Goldenberg in Washington; Emilie Megnien and Mike Stewart in Atlanta; Stephen Smith in New Orleans; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
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