By Kyle Jackson
Yesterday March 23, President Donald Trump dispatched Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents to assist the TSA in major airports amidst the DHS shutdown. So far, ICE agents have not been dispatched to Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
The president first announced his intentions on March 22 in a post to his TRUTH account.
“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all. But watch, no matter how great a job ICE does, the Lunatics leading the incompetent Dems will be highly critical of their work. THEY WILL DO A FANTASTIC JOB. The great Tom Homan is in charge!!!”
The President later stated to reporters that the idea was all his doing, taking full credit. In addition, the president also stated that he is willing to send in the National Guard if ICE isn’t enough.
The Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown on Feb. 14 after Congress failed to fund the department.
President Trump is currently pointing the finger at the Democrats, claiming that their the reason for the shutdown with them “going crazy” over ICE.
As a result of the shutdown, a large number of TSA personnel are not getting paid, and some quit their positions to seek paid employment so they can pay their bills, lowering the number of available security personnel.
Despite this not affecting the majority of citizens, the lack of TSA workers has affected those attempting to travel with longer security lines.
The White House X account stated in a post on March 22 that the shutdown is due to “Democrats’ political games.”
“We’ve all seen the chaos unleashed by Democrats at airports across the country,” said Vice President JD Vance in a recent post, “It’s preposterous that Chuck Schumer continues to hold TSA funding hostage.”
Democratic senator Chuck Schumer claimed that President Trump is the reason for the shutdown continuing, with the president refusing a Republican deal that would fund all of DHS, except for ICE.
Other Democrats have claimed the same, with Democratic senator Cory Booker releasing a video declaring, “Get ICE out of my airports and fund TSA.”
The introduction of ICE agents in major airports has added to the already growing controversy surrounding the actions of ICE.
Less than a day into the introduction, a woman traveling with her child had already been violently taken into custody at the San Diego International Airport.
Nick Valencia, a former CNN journalist, posted a video demonstrating how ICE agents in Atlanta aren’t helping the TSA with screenings, rather standing on guard.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport communications and marketing supervisor, Heidi Groenbroom, provided a comment on the matter.
“At this time, ICE agents have not been deployed to Gerald R. Ford International Airport regarding the partial government shutdown to assist TSA staff. DHS is prioritizing other airports who have experienced significant disruption to security screening lines.” Groenbroom said. “Currently, Gerald R. Ford International Airport has not had significant disruption to operations or staffing shortages. With thanks to the good work of our TSA officers, wait times remain as normal. We continue to be in close communication with our TSA partners and will provide updates if there are any changes or impacts to travelers.”
Groenbroom also stated that travelers can check security line wait times on FlyFord.org.
