Trump Threatens to Deploy ICE Officers to Airports Amid Shutdown

President says he'll order immigration agents to assist with security unless Democrats agree to fund Homeland Security.

Mar. 21, 2026 at 7:22pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

President Donald Trump has threatened to order federal immigration officers to take on roles in airport security starting on Monday, unless Democrats agree to a bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security. The move comes as a partial government shutdown contributes to long lines at security checkpoints at some of the nation's largest airports.

Why it matters

This is the latest escalation in the ongoing political standoff between the Trump administration and Congressional Democrats over border security and immigration policy. The potential deployment of ICE officers to airports raises concerns about the militarization of domestic transportation hubs and the blurring of the lines between immigration enforcement and general airport security.

The details

In a pair of social media posts, Trump first threatened and then said he had made plans to put officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in airports if the congressional standoff over Homeland Security funding continues. The president's announcement comes as the partial government shutdown contributes to long lines at security checkpoints at some of the nation's largest airports.

  • President Trump made the announcement on Saturday, March 20, 2026.
  • Trump said the ICE officers would be deployed to airports starting on Monday, March 22, 2026.

The players

President Donald Trump

The 45th President of the United States, who is threatening to deploy ICE officers to airports amid the ongoing government shutdown.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the United States.

Congressional Democrats

The political party that currently controls the House of Representatives and is in a standoff with the Trump administration over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I'm going to be putting the ICE agents on the border. We're going to have ICE — and if the Democrats don't give us the votes to change our very unsafe immigration laws, we're going to do that, we're going to put ICE at the airports.”

— President Donald Trump

What’s next

The Trump administration and Congressional Democrats will need to reach an agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security in order to avoid the deployment of ICE officers to airports.

The takeaway

This move by President Trump represents a further escalation of the administration's hardline immigration policies and a potential overreach of federal immigration enforcement into domestic transportation security. It raises concerns about the militarization of airports and the blurring of the lines between immigration control and general public safety.