Border czar Tom Homan said President Trump is tired of watching Americans being “held hostage” at airports during the partial government shutdown — and is moving to deploy ICE officers to help relieve overwhelmed TSA agents.
“He called me this morning, and he’s tired of waiting: the American people being held hostage at the airport, TSA not being paid, FEMA — all these people, federal employees, are working for free,” Mr. Homan said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Mr. Trump announced the plan Saturday on Truth Social, saying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would begin assisting Transportation Security Administration workers at airports on Monday.
Mr. Homan said plans were being finalized. He said ICE agents would handle tasks that don’t require specialized TSA training. He said they could secure exit lanes and check IDs before travelers reach the screening area — freeing TSA officers to concentrate on X-ray screening and other work that requires expertise.
“We’re going to be a force multiplier,” Mr. Homan said, pushing back on suggestions that ICE agents are unqualified for airport security work. “We’re not going to be doing that. We’re going to leave TSA and augment TSA, where we are trained in security.”
“That hopefully will move the lines quicker,” he said. “But the president has made it clear he’s not gonna let America be held hostage anymore.”
Senate Democrats and Republicans remain at a standoff over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, with Democrats demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mr. Homan, who has joined the White House-led negotiations, said the two sides have not reached an agreement.
“This administration didn’t shut the government down,” Mr. Homan said. “It is the Democratic Party that shut it down.”
He said the president has run out of patience.
“The president made it clear that we’re not going to wait,” he said. “He’s going to pivot from there, and we’re going to send ICE agents to airports to help alleviate” the crisis.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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