Airport chaos ahead? TSA unpaid, Trump threatens ICE takeover of security

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday suggested deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to provide security at airports, as thousands of TSA personnel remain unpaid amid a budget impasse.

Trump, posting on Truth Social, warned that if Democrats do not approve a funding agreement, “I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before.”

TSA staff work without pay amid funding lapse

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, operates roughly 65,000 employees who screen passengers, baggage, and cargo. Since mid-February, TSA staff have been working without pay as spring travel peaks, leading to resignations, unscheduled absences, and mounting financial stress.

According to the DHS, over 300 TSA employees have quit since the funding lapse began on February 14. Union officials report that many staff are taking second jobs, relying on donations, or receiving support through food pantries and gift cards at major airports.

Airports nationwide have urged passengers to arrive early due to longer security lines caused by the workforce disruption. Johnny Jones, a Dallas-based union official, told media outlets, “Numerous employees have reported their bank accounts are at zero or negative. No funds for daycare, no funds for food.”

Also Read| US may deploy elite forces to seize Iran’s nuclear stockpiles: Report

Read more at: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/world/us-may-deploy-elite-forces-to-seize-irans-nuclear-stockpiles-report-aaddj4s5

Elon Musk offers to cover TSA salaries

In a related development, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk offered to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during the ongoing budget stalemate, posting on X that he wanted to support workers affected by the funding shortfall.

Political standoff over DHS funding

The funding deadlock stems from Democrats in Congress demanding reforms to ICE operations, including curtailed immigration raids, a ban on face masks, and judicial warrants before agents enter private property. While ICE continues operations using prior appropriations, TSA staff remain impacted by the funding gap.

Also Read| ‘We have won’: Trump weighs ‘winding down’ Iran war but rules out ceasefire

Trump’s post also targeted Minnesota, referencing the state’s response to immigration enforcement, and claimed ICE agents would immediately address undocumented migrants if deployed to airports.

The TSA pay crisis highlights growing operational challenges in US airport security and the ongoing political friction over Department of Homeland Security funding.

AFP