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ICE Agents to Assist at U.S. Airports as Shutdown Strains TSA Staffing

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As long security lines continue to frustrate travelers during a busy spring travel period, federal officials are preparing to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to major airports across the country.

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said Sunday that ICE personnel would begin assisting at airports as early as Monday. The move comes as the Transportation Security Administration faces staffing shortages amid a partial government shutdown, leaving many agents working without pay.

“It’s a work in progress, but we will be at airports tomorrow, helping T.S.A. move those lines along,” Homan said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

According to The New York Times, ICE agents, including those from Homeland Security Investigations, are expected at 14 airports nationwide. These include major hubs such as Kennedy and LaGuardia in New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston and Phoenix.

The Department of Homeland Security said the deployment is intended to reduce wait times by allowing T.S.A. agents to focus on passenger screening. ICE agents are expected to handle other roles, such as monitoring exits and assisting in areas that do not require specialized screening expertise.

“This is about helping T.S.A. do their mission, and get the American public through that airport as quick as they can, while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols. We’re simply there to help T.S.A. do their job in areas that don’t need their specialized expertise.”

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The decision follows a weekend announcement by President Trump, who framed the move as both a response to long lines and leverage in negotiations with congressional Democrats over funding the Department of Homeland Security.

On social media, he wrote that agents would “do security like no one has ever seen before,” adding that the effort would include “the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our Country.”

In a statement Sunday night, the department blamed Democrats for the disruptions.

“Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours-long lines at airports across the country — especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families,” the statement said. “This will help bolster T.S.A. efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions.”

Still, details of the plan remain unclear. Officials have yet to finalize how many agents will be deployed or precisely where they will be stationed. Homan said airports with the longest wait times, particularly those exceeding three hours, would likely be prioritized. “When we deploy them more, we’ll have a well-thought-out plan to execute,” he said.

The announcement has drawn criticism from lawmakers and union representatives, who argue that the move does little to address the root problem—unpaid T.S.A. workers.

Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York condemned the plan, saying, “The last thing the American people need is for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports across the country, potentially to brutalize or to kill them.”

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker told reporters that ICE agents are “striking fear” in passengers. Booker also claimed that many airlines told him they want agents out of airports and called on President Trump to fund the T.S.A.

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“They have brought this reckless and out-of-control ICE into our airports, and have even told the American people what they’re specifically doing, and all we see them doing today is roaming around.”

T.S.A. employees and union leaders have also raised concerns about both effectiveness and optics. Mike Gayzagian, a T.S.A. officer at Boston Logan International Airport and the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2617, questioned whether ICE agents would provide meaningful support, particularly if assigned to less critical roles.

“None of this would be happening if Congress had just simply decided to pay us,” he said.

Johnny Jones, a T.S.A. officer at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, echoed that frustration. “All we want is a paycheck,” Jones said. “We don’t need all these optics.”

He also warned that the presence of immigration agents could create tension and distractions, potentially making airports less safe.

Travelers themselves expressed mixed reactions. At LaGuardia Airport on Sunday, where wait times stretched up to three hours, some passengers welcomed additional help but remained wary of ICE involvement.

Sarah Estes, a nurse from Dallas visiting New York, said she had expected a short wait based on airport estimates but was instead told it could take over two hours.

“I don’t trust those people,” she said. “So how can I trust them to help out at the airport? But the airports do need help.”

Homan emphasized that ICE agents already operate in airport environments, handling immigration enforcement and investigating crimes such as smuggling. He added that agents are “well trained” in identification and security procedures and are continuing to receive pay during the shutdown, unlike many T.S.A. workers.

Even so, with implementation imminent, the plan remains fluid, leaving questions about how effectively the additional personnel will ease delays during one of the year’s busiest travel periods.

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Protests In US Have Massively Increased Since Trump’s First Term 

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After the first year of Donald Trump retaking office, the number of protests in the United States have increased greatly when compared to the same point in his first administration. The Crowd Counting Consortium, an open-source project collaboration with Harvard University’s Kennedy School and the University of Connecticut, reported that there were more than 10,700 protests in 2025. 

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This marks a 133% increase from the 4,588 recorded back in 2017 during the first year of Trump’s first term. 

According to the data from Crown Counting Consortium, a large majority of US counties have had at least one protest since he was placed back in office last year; this includes the 42% of counties that voted for Trump in the 2024 election. 

“It is a very historic time, in the sense that people are mobilizing where they live in ways that I don’t think I have seen before in my lifetime,” said Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist and co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium.

Some of the most prominent protests have had to do with the main headlines to come out for the Trump Administration from his first year in office. There has been multiple coverage of protests for trans youth healthcare, the US’s support of Israel in Gaza, Elon Musk’s involvement in government, and anti-ICE movements as federal agents raid a multitude of US cities.

Chenoweth stated that more protests have not just occurred, but have been highly coordinated, organized, and scheduled, especially the No Kings and Hands Off protests. 

The project stated normally flash points of protests have been “localized to big cities or a march on Washington, and we’re not seeing that, we’re seeing very diffused protest mobilization all around the country.” 

What’s also significant is where these protests are occurring. Many notable movements have been occurring in red and rural pockets of the US that voted for Trump.

“It definitely cuts against the narrative that protest is confined to major cities, to the coasts, and to predominantly liberal areas where it doesn’t change anybody’s mind.”

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Looking back at Trump’s first term, there were a few major spikes in protests such as the 2018 student walkouts after the Parkland high school shooting, the summer 2018 protests regarding immigrant family separations, and the 2020 Black Lives Matter movements and protests following the killing of George Floyd. 

Most recently, protesting has been occurring throughout nearly the entirety of 2025 and into 2026 over ICE deployments in multiple states and major cities throughout the country. In Minneapolis, many are protesting following the killing of Renee Good during and ICE interaction on January 7th. 

“What’s really notable now is how much grassroots, improvised and then organized response there is to ICE operations,” said Chenoweth. 

“The defining feature of [the Minneapolis ICE] protests is absolutely focused on that issue and sense of outrage, and just finding unbearable and intolerable, the way the administration is approaching this.”

Cheneweth stated that the US is at an “inflection point” when it comes to the growth in nonviolent protesting, and these movements help to give citizens a real sense of agency in wake of feeling powerless and hopeless. 

“This is a very important thing for people to feel and internalize when the more dominant narrative is otherwise.”

ice

Apple and Google Remove Apps That Track ICE Agents After Federal Pressure

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What began as a niche tool for community safety has erupted into a national flashpoint over technology, free speech, and government power. Apple and Google have pulled a series of apps that crowdsource sightings of U.S. immigration enforcement officers, sparking outrage from developers, civil rights advocates, and immigration organizations that say the move represents corporate capitulation to the Trump administration’s political agenda.

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Fear of Immigration Raids Silences Latino Cultural Festivals in Small-Town America

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Across rural America, the rhythm of summer is changing. For decades, Latino cultural festivals have been a vibrant fixture in small towns, drawing crowds with music, dance, and the aromas of home-cooked food. But this year, many of these celebrations have fallen silent. Organizers from Indiana to Washington say it’s not a lack of interest or funding that’s keeping the mariachi trumpets quiet.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Deny ICE Agents Entry Into Stadium 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers said this week that they denied US Immigration Enforcement (ICE) Agents access into the parking lot of Dodgers Stadium. 

“This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots,” the team posted to their social media. 

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“They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization. Tonight’s game will be played as scheduled.”

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said that ICE agents “were never there. This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”

Immigrant communities in Los Angeles have been on high alert as of late as homeland security and ICE agents have begun raiding workplaces, public parking lots, and more as they search for undocumented individuals. 

Since LA has been such a major target as of late, Dodgers stadium began responding to rumors of raids as the team has a large Latino fanbase, which could make them a potential target. 

Several local LA journalists this week have observed and reported dozens of DHS vehicles with masked officers near the stadium, and the agents refused to comment on why they were there when asked by a Los Angeles Times reporter. 

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One source told the LA Times reporter that the federal agents were meeting near the stadium for a briefing and left once they noticed an increased presence of reporters and photographers that were immediately posting the meetings on social media. 

“Ice agents are taking up positions at the entrances to Dodger Stadium, media and crowd beginning to arrive,” Kevin Takumi, a videographer and photographer for Fox’s Los Angeles affiliate, wrote. Takumi posted a video online showing several vans and SUVs.

Jack Harris, the Dodgers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, said: “Regarding the photos going around on social media this morning about ICE agents at Dodger Stadium: sources say ICE agents tried to access Dodger Stadium today, but were denied entry to the grounds by the team.”

“Ice agents attempted to access Dodger Stadium this morning but were denied by the Dodgers. Images had circulated this morning of agents appearing to use the parking lots as a staging area,” Fabian Ardaya, a journalist who covers the Dodgers for The Athletic, wrote.

Eunisses Hernandez, an LA city council member, said: “We’ve been in communication with the mayor’s office, with the Dodgers, with Dodgers security, about seeing if they can get them moved off their private property.”

“Public property is different. Private property – businesses and corporations have the power to say, ‘Not on my property’. And so we’re waiting to see that movement happen here.”

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Columbia Student Alleges ICE Retaliation for Pro-Palestinian Activism

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A Columbia University student has accused the Trump administration of targeting her for deportation due to her pro-Palestinian activism. She alleges that immigration authorities are using similar tactics previously employed against other student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil, who is being detained in Louisiana.

Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old lawful permanent resident who immigrated from South Korea to the United States at the age of seven, claims in her recent lawsuit that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began efforts to deport her shortly after her arrest on March 5.

Chung was detained during a protest criticizing Columbia University’s disciplinary measures against students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Media reports identified her as part of a group arrested following a sit-in at a Barnard College library, which neighbors Columbia.

According to Chung’s lawsuit, ICE had issued an administrative warrant and tried to apprehend her at her family’s residence within days of her arrest. On March 10, Chung learned through her attorney that federal authorities had decided to revoke her lawful permanent resident status. Three days later, law enforcement officials searched two university-owned residences, including Chung’s dormitory, in pursuit of immigration documents and travel records.

Chung is currently a junior at Columbia, where she made it onto the dean’s list every semester and has maintained a 3.99 GPA. She has also been involved in the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review and pursued internships in the legal field.

Her lawsuit seeks judicial intervention to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to deport noncitizen students involved in campus activism against Israeli military actions in Gaza. Chung requests the court prohibit her detention, forced relocation outside New York City, or deportation while the legal proceedings are underway.

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The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Manhattan, accuses high-ranking federal officials of aiming to silence voices critical of U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel and Palestine, stating they “are attempting to use immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike, including Ms. Chung’s speech.”

“ICE’s shocking actions against Ms. Chung form part of a larger pattern of attempted U.S. government repression of constitutionally protected protest activity and other forms of speech. The government’s repression has focused specifically on university students who speak out in solidarity with Palestinians and who are critical of the Israeli government’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza or the pro-Israeli policies of the U.S. government and other U.S. institutions.”

Responding to the lawsuit, a senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated, “Yunseo Chung has engaged in concerning conduct, including when she was arrested by NYPD during a pro-Hamas protest at Barnard College.”

“She is being sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws. Chung will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.”

Chung, who majors in English and gender studies, has actively participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations since last year. However, her lawyers emphasized that she held no leadership role, did not speak to the media, nor did she negotiate on behalf of fellow protesters.

Despite this, Columbia University accused her of participating in posting fliers depicting members of the university’s board of trustees accompanied by the phrase “wanted for complicity in genocide.” According to Chung’s lawsuit, the university still concluded she had not violated any of its applicable policies.

Chung’s lawsuit references five similar cases in her lawsuit, including Mahmoud Khalil, another Columbia student, and Momodou Taal, a 31-year-old Cornell Ph.D. student from the UK and Gambia. Taal recently received notice to surrender to immigration authorities after challenging efforts to deport him over his involvement in campus protests.

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In Taal’s case, the Justice Department claims his student visa was revoked due to involvement in disruptive demonstrations that breached university policy and allegedly fostered a hostile environment for Jewish students. Despite these claims, Taal’s lawyer argued that no criminal charges had been filed against him and that his brief presence at a protest for five minutes was constitutionally protected. “If the First Amendment does not protect the right to attend a demonstration, what’s left? Not much,” he stated.

“The government’s actions are an unprecedented and unjustifiable assault on First Amendment and other rights, one that cannot stand basic legal scrutiny. Simply put, immigration enforcement — here, immigration detention and threatened deportation — may not be used as a tool to punish noncitizen speakers who express political views disfavored by the current administration.”

Other academics and students at universities like Georgetown and Brown have experienced visa cancellations or entry denials due to their involvement in demonstrations or advocacy supporting Palestinians.

Immigration authorities have frequently relied on a rarely invoked statute authorizing the Secretary of State to revoke visas of noncitizens deemed threats to U.S. foreign-policy interests. The lawsuit states, “They would retaliate against and punish noncitizens, including Ms. Chung, for their actual or perceived advocacy for Palestinian rights.”

In a prominent case, Mahmoud Khalil was detained by ICE shortly after finishing his master’s degree at Columbia. The Trump administration alleged his involvement in “antisemitic activities,” citing his significant role as a negotiator in student protests, including the widely publicized campus tent encampments, as proof of support for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization by the U.S.

Authorities further claimed Khalil omitted details of his previous employment with a UN agency, his continued role at the British embassy in Beirut, and his affiliation with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition critical of Israel’s policies. Khalil’s attorney dismissed these accusations as unfounded, arguing that the government bears the responsibility of demonstrating that any omissions were intentional and substantially relevant.

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Scientists Pull 1.2 Million-Year-Old Ice Core From Antarctic 

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This week, an international team of scientists announced that they were successful in drilling one of the oldest ice cores in human history. The team drilled nearly two miles deep into Antarctic bedrock to reach ice that they claim is at least 1.2 million years old, according to reports from the Associated Press. 

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The scientists are hoping that by analyzing the ancient ice, they’ll gain a greater understanding of Earth’s atmospheric and climate evolution. Specifically, they want to learn more about how Ice Age cycles have changed, and how carbon in the atmosphere has changed our planet’s climate. 

“Thanks to the ice core we will understand what has changed in terms of greenhouse gases, chemicals, and dust in the atmosphere,” said Carlo Barbante, an Italian glaciologist and coordinator of Beyond EPICA, the project to obtain the core. 

A team of 16 scientists worked on this recent drilling project along with support personnel drilling every summer throughout four years. The team was working in conditions, on average, of about minus 25.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 

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“It was a great moment for us when we reached the bedrock” said Federico Scoto, an Italian researcher who worked on the project.

“Today we are seeing carbon dioxide levels that are 50% above the highest levels we’ve had over the last 800,000 years,” Barbante said. The analysis of the ice core showed that concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have never exceeded the levels seen since the Industrial Revolution began, according to AP. 

The European Union funded “Beyond EPICA” (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica). Nations across Europe supported the project with Italy coordinating. 

The data collected from this project will help scientists understand the climate conditions of the past and how human activities have contributed to climate change the way we see it today. 

ICE, Homeland Security Agents To Test Use Of Body Cameras

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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced its intentions to begin a six-month pilot program that will see ICE law enforcement officers to test the usage of body cameras for “pre-planned operations.”

“With its body worn camera pilot, ICE is making an important statement that transparency and accountability are essential components of our ability to fulfill our law enforcement mission and keep communities safe,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas explained, noting the Department will continue to seek ways to “ensure the safety and security” of their workforce, partners, and the public.

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According to the ICE’s release, the deployment of the cameras will occur in phases throughout the U.S., beginning with 55 Homeland Security (HSI) special agents — part of a SWAT-like unit — in New Jersey, Texas, and New York. Enforcement and Removal Operations agents (ERO), who primarily deal with immigration, will then follow.

ICE stated that all participants in the program have been trained on how to use the body cameras, in addition to other training such as data storage, uploading, tagging, and retention. The cameras will be mounted on the participant’s outwear, which can include the vest, helmet, or shirt.

However, not everyone is on board with ICE’s operations. Speaking to CBS News, the National ICE Council president Chris Crane is opposed to the program, calling the agency’s timeline “ridiculous” while also saying they won’t be able to start the pilot anytime soon. Crane also blamed politicians for hastily rushing the pilot.

“Suspecting they may lose control of the House in the next election, Democrats on the Hill are forcing the program before it’s ready while they’re still in control. We don’t know enough about the feasibility of its use at ICE.”

Speaking to various reporters, an anonymous ICE senior official said that footage captured will be subjected to Freedom of Information Act requests, and will be available to defense lawyers in criminal cases.

The reporter also explained the program will be evaluating the effectiveness of the equipment and the overall costs. A summary of the pilot’s findings will be released to the public following the conclusion.

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These implementations are just the latest as more government agencies are starting to introduce body camera technology. In September, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) had agents use the equipment, becoming the first federal officers to do so. The Biden Administration also permitted the allocation of 6,000 cameras to agents in Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The use of body cameras by authorities has seen mixed results. In 2016, a Beauru of Justice survey reported that nearly half — or 47% — of all U.S. law enforcement agencies had worn body cameras, and two-thirds that didn’t possess cameras at the time said they were thinking of acquiring them.

Despite the high usage, a 2018 George Mason University survey found that cameras did not have “significant effects” on measures conducted by both officers and civilians, or civilians’ views of police officers. The study also stated mixed results when it came to reducing police brutality.