The Digester
general

ICE agents deployed to airports as TSA gaps grow during shutdown

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been posted at multiple US airports, including J.F.K., to fill security gaps caused by mass TSA absences during a prolonged government shutdown, prompting mixed reactions from unions, travelers, and DHS.

Mar 26th 2026 ยท United States

Insights

  • ICE agents were sent Monday to more than a dozen US airports, including J.F.K., five weeks into a partial Department of Homeland Security funding shutdown.
  • At J.F.K. agents in tactical vests labeled POLICE ICE appeared maskless, armed, and mostly standing in terminals while offering limited assistance to travelers.
  • The deployment follows a year of roving federal operations in cities that produced thousands of arrests, at least 17 shootings, and four deaths.
  • The move addresses TSA staffing shortfalls during a 40 day unpaid period that saw nearly 500 TSA officers quit and more than 3,000 call out nationwide, an 11 percent call-out rate.
  • DHS says ICE received standard TSA training and is using TSA equipment to verify identifications, and TSA expressed gratitude for the assistance.
  • TSA union leaders and airport staff report confusion, anxiety, and uncertainty about ICE roles and effectiveness at checkpoints.

Sources