White House border czar says ICE agents will assist at airport security points amid DHS shutdown

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will assist at busy airport security checkpoints amid a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown that has lasted more than a month.

Homan told CNN's "State of the Union" that ICE agents will help with security at entrances and exits to ease the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)'s workload, as more TSA officers have quit or called in sick while working without pay.

Airports nationwide are experiencing long security lines due to TSA staffing shortages, and DHS has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown.

"This chaos at American airports is a direct result of the Democrats' DHS shutdown. Our TSA officers have now gone weeks without pay. Many can't even afford gas to get to work," the department said Sunday on social media platform X.

Democrats, meanwhile, have blamed Republicans for the standoff. "Instead of sending ICE agents to harass travelers at airports, why don't Republicans get their act together and agree to pay TSA workers like we've asked them SEVEN TIMES now?" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X.

The Senate on Friday rejected the DHS funding bill for the fifth time, leaving key operations -- including the TSA, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- severely strained. ■