President Donald Trump said Saturday he would deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to U.S. airports as early as Monday if Democrats do not agree to fund the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration, escalating a growing standoff in Congress.
“If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president said the effort would include “the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country,” signaling a more aggressive enforcement posture tied directly to the funding dispute, NBC News reported.
Trump first raised the possibility earlier Saturday before reiterating the warning later in the day, making clear that the administration is prepared to shift ICE resources toward airport operations if negotiations fail.
The comments come as Senate Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over funding for DHS, which has been partially shut down since mid-February. The impasse has disrupted some federal operations, most notably at the Transportation Security Administration.
On Saturday, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-led effort to pass a stand-alone bill to fund TSA in a 41-49 vote. The move followed a failed Democratic attempt a day earlier to pass a broader Republican-backed measure that would have fully funded DHS.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., falsely accused Republicans of tying TSA funding to increased funding for ICE without including reforms sought by Democrats. She said the strategy has left TSA officers working without pay.
“Today, Senate Republicans voted against paying TSA agents because they insist on tying TSA funding to their push to give even more money to ICE — without basic reforms,” Murray claimed, though her party has repeatedly refused to fund one of the federal government’s most important agencies for national security..
The shutdown has led to widespread strain at airports across the country. TSA officers, who continue to work without pay, have reported increased absences, contributing to longer delays for travelers. Reports have said that hundreds have quit the agency.
Lawmakers from both parties have acknowledged the operational challenges, though they remain divided over how to resolve the broader funding dispute.
ICE operations have not been directly affected by the shutdown, as the agency previously received significant funding through a separate legislative package passed last year. That funding has allowed ICE to continue enforcement activities despite the broader DHS impasse.
Democrats have pushed for new oversight measures on ICE as part of any funding agreement. Their proposals include requiring agents to wear visible identification, restricting the use of face coverings, and limiting enforcement actions in sensitive areas such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
Those demands intensified following a January incident in Minnesota in which two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed during immigration enforcement operations.
Republicans have said they are willing to consider some reforms but argue that full funding for DHS should not be contingent on additional restrictions. GOP lawmakers have proposed measures including body cameras, enhanced training, and limits on enforcement in certain locations.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said Republicans have already put forward a compromise framework. “We’ve offered body cams, more training, limiting arrests for sensitive areas like churches and hospitals and so forth,” Hoeven said. “I think the Democrats need to come back to us now and talk to us about what they’re willing to do,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., blamed Democrats for worsening conditions at airports, saying the refusal to fund the TSA has created avoidable disruptions. “The situation at U.S. airports continues to worsen thanks to Democrats’ refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Thune said.