President Donald Trump mentioned he is contemplating sending the Nationwide Guard to U.S. airports, two days after the administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers to a number of main U.S. airports following hourslong waits for vacationers due to the partial authorities shutdown.
In a Reality Social publish Wednesday, Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown, which started Feb. 14.
“Thanks to our nice ICE Patriots for serving to. It makes an enormous distinction,” he wrote in his publish. “I could name up the Nationwide Guard for extra assist.”
Vacationers wait in line at a Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs
Greater than 11% of TSA officers known as out on Wednesday and over 450 have stop for the reason that shutdown began, the Division of Homeland Safety mentioned.
Elevated absences of Transportation Safety Administration officers, who’re required to work although they don’t seem to be getting paid through the shutdown, have contributed to lengthy traces at main U.S. airports, together with in Atlanta, Houston and New York.
The DHS, which oversees each ICE and and the TSA, mentioned the ICE brokers will “help airports dealing with the best pressure” however the division did not reply to requests for touch upon what the ICE brokers’ duties are. ICE brokers are getting paid within the shutdown.
Airways have been warning clients about doubtlessly lengthy safety traces, whereas executives develop more and more pissed off with lawmakers concerning the deadlock. On Tuesday, Delta Air Traces mentioned it suspended its airport escorts and different particular companies for members of Congress and their employees due to the continuing partial shutdown of the DHS.
The shutdown comes as Democrats in Congress have demanded modifications to how federal immigration enforcement operates in change for releasing DHS funding after two U.S. residents had been shot and killed by ICE officers in Minneapolis.