‘Chaos’: Sherrill blasts Trump move to put ICE agents in Newark Airport
✈️ ICE at airports? Trump orders immigration agents to help TSA during the shutdown, raising concerns about security and tensions among travelers.
⏱️ Long waits worsening: TSA call-outs over missed paychecks are stretching security lines nationwide, including at Newark Liberty.
⚖️ Political fight escalates: NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill condemns the plan as shutdown negotiations stall in Washington.
President Donald Trump's decision to order federal immigration agents to U.S. airports to help with security during a budget impasse is drawing concerns that their presence may escalate tensions among air travelers frustrated over hours-long waits and screeners angry about missed paychecks.
Trump made clear on Sunday that he was going ahead with the plan to have immigration enforcement officers assist the Transportation Security Administration starting Monday by guarding exit lanes or checking passenger IDs unless Democrats agreed to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Democrats have been demanding major changes to federal immigration operations, while the president issued a new threat Sunday night that he would reject all deals with Democrats unless they agreed to a separate elections bill.
Will ICE agents be used at Newark Liberty Airport?
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey did not confirm whether ICE agents would be assisting TSA agents at Newark Liberty International Airport, saying that decision would be made by the Department of Homeland Security.
However, in a statement to NJ.com, the Port Authority said any ICE agents assisting the TSA would need to be properly trained “consistent with maintaining the safety, integrity, and efficiency of the security process at our airports and protecting the flying public.”
Gov. Mikie Sherrill blasts plan to deploy ICE at airports
Gov. Mikie Sherrill condemned the plan to use ICE agents to support the TSA in New Jersey.
“Every time Donald Trump gets involved, he creates chaos for the American people,” Sherrill said in a statement. “Trump’s ICE has a track record of making communities less safe, and sending untrained ICE agents to staff our airports is not an acceptable solution.”
TSA shutdown impacts: Longer lines and fewer screeners
Wait times at TSA checkpoints have been growing since the partial government shutdown began 43 days ago.
Thousands of TSA workers have been calling out sick because they are not getting paid.
There is some evidence wait times at Newark are not as bad as at some other U.S. airports, but the Port Authority has stopped posting wait times at security checkpoints.
Democrats have said they are willing to fund TSA and most other parts of DHS as they press for changes to immigration operations after the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation. ICE officers are largely being paid during the partial shutdown, thanks to an influx of cash from Trump’s big tax breaks bill last year.
“There are lots of ideas swirling right now,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “The good news in all that is people realizing this has to get fixed, it has to get solved.”
Shutdown negotiations stall over elections bill demand
Trump threw another obstacle into the talks Sunday night when he declared he did not think Republicans should reach “any deal” with Democrats unless Congress passes a broad elections bill that includes stricter voter registration rules — a top legislative priority for the president.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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