White House border advisor Tom Homan clarified on Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will not be conducting passenger security screening at airports, despite plans for the agency to begin assisting the Transportation Security Administration this week. The announcement comes as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown enters its 40th day, creating severe staffing shortages that have forced checkpoint closures and caused extensive security delays nationwide.
Defining the Support Role
In appearances on CNN's "State of the Union" and "Fox News Sunday," Homan emphasized that ICE personnel lack training to operate X-ray machines and other screening equipment. "Wherever we can provide extra security, I don't see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine," Homan told CNN host Dana Bash. Instead, he explained that ICE officers would assume peripheral security duties—such as monitoring exits and access points—to free TSA agents for specialized screening work.
"Certainly, a highly trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit and make sure people don't go through those exits," Homan said. "And stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines." He added that the operation would prioritize airports experiencing the longest security wait times, with a final plan to be developed by Sunday evening in coordination with acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill.
Contradictory Statements and Operational Context
Homan's comments directly contradicted statements from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who told ABC News that ICE officers would assist with security screening operations. "They run those same type of security machines at the southern border," Duffy said. "We have ICE agents who are trained and can provide assistance to agents." The conflicting accounts highlight the ad hoc nature of the response to the deepening TSA staffing crisis triggered by the DHS shutdown.
The operational shift follows President Trump's announcement on Truth Social that ICE would "help" TSA agents beginning Monday, with Homan overseeing the deployment. The move represents an unprecedented use of immigration enforcement personnel for domestic airport security support, raising questions about mission creep and resource allocation. Homan stressed that ICE's standard immigration enforcement activities at airports would continue unchanged, describing the surge as specifically "about helping the men and women at TSA."
Mounting Pressure from Shutdown Fallout
The DHS shutdown has prompted this ICE airport deployment amid worsening TSA absenteeism. According to acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, 366 TSA officers have left the agency since the shutdown began on February 15. TSA employees received only partial paychecks late last month and no paychecks at all last week, creating financial hardship that has driven increased call-outs.
The staffing crisis has forced major airports including Philadelphia International and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental to close security checkpoints. Nationwide, security wait times have ballooned, disrupting travel and raising security concerns. Homan noted that ICE agents are already stationed at many airports conducting criminal investigations related to smuggling, providing existing infrastructure for the expanded support role.
As the political standoff over DHS funding continues, the emergency deployment of ICE officers represents a temporary fix to a systemic problem. The arrangement underscores the cascading effects of the prolonged shutdown on homeland security operations and the extraordinary measures being implemented to maintain basic airport security functions.
