President Trump on Sunday said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be “going to airports” on Monday to help TSA. “On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “But watch, no matter how great a job ICE does, the Lunatics leading the incompetent Dems will be highly critical of their work. THEY WILL DO A FANTASTIC JOB. The great Tom Homan is in charge!!!” he added. BREAKING NEWS: President Donald Trump announced that ICE will deploy to airports on Monday to help TSA workers amid the funding standoff. He praised TSA agents who stayed on the job, while ripping Democrats "who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered… pic.twitter.com/ZF1YfuZreC — Fox News (@FoxNews) March 22, 2026 USA TODAY shared further: In comments a day prior, the president said he would also have the ICE agents arrest people who have entered the United States without authorization, especially those coming from Somalia − a country he has repeatedly criticized. It’s not clear if the March 23 deployment will only see ICE assisting TSA agents in their prescribed duties, or if their mandate will also include immigration enforcement at airports. Customs and Border Protection agents primarily manage immigration control at airports. In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” on March 22, Homan said ICE agents won’t be manning X-ray machines, but they’ll help with other work. “There are roles we can play to release TSA officers from the non-significant roles, such as guarding an exit so they can get back to the scanning machines and move people quicker,” Homan said. “We’re just simply helping our fellow officers at TSA.” Homan said ICE will continue immigration enforcement operations while aiding TSA. Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin shared responses from a handful of ICE agents about working security at airports. “Love it,” one said. “Genius. We serve at the behest,” another said. “I would actually love that,” another commented. I reached out to a handful of ICE agents to gauge their reaction to President Trump pitching putting them at airports to work security. Responses: “Love it.” “Genius. We serve at the behest…” “Lots of illegals at airports”. “” “I would actually love that”. “Ah… — Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 21, 2026 More from The Washington Post: Democrats immediately criticized the administration’s plan. “This is really disturbing,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said Sunday on the Senate floor. “ICE agents, who are untrained and have caused problems everywhere they’ve gone, lurking at our airports? That’s asking for trouble.” For over a month, Democrats have refused to pass a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security — which includes ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies — until Republicans agree to new accountability measures for immigration enforcement agents. But the agencies Democrats are seeking to change — ICE and CBP — have largely been able to continue operating with billions of dollars from the Republican tax and spending bill passed last year. The congressional standoff has left the majority of TSA employees working without pay for weeks, prompting an increase in worker absences at airports and threatening worsening disruptions for travelers as spring break nears for millions of students. The changes Democrats are seeking include a requirement that ICE agents get a warrant from a judge before forcefully entering homes and cease wearing masks. The Trump administration has agreed to several requests, including the expanded use of body-worn cameras and limiting civil enforcement activities at certain locations, including hospitals, schools and places of worship. Seeking to strike a deal to fund DHS, Homan has met with senators at the Capitol twice in recent days, but the negotiations have not yielded a breakthrough. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), speaking Sunday on CNN, urged Republicans in both chambers to pass legislation to pay TSA officers even as the DHS shutdown continues. Jeffries noted that Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Neely Kennedy (R-Louisiana) have indicated support for such a measure.