WASHINGTON—If you&#8217;re looking for Bernie Sanders, you won&#8217;t find him here.
Vermont&#8217;s socialist senator was <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/03/27/sen-bernie-sanders-catches-first-class-flight-after-funding-bill-fails/?adid=social-tw">spotted</a> in first class on a 2:49 p.m. flight out of Reagan National Airport Friday afternoon — minutes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed to reject the partial Department of Homeland Security funding bill Sanders and his colleagues in the upper chamber had passed around 2:00 a.m.
About an hour after Sanders&#8217;s flight took off, President Donald Trump entered the fray on Johnson&#8217;s side, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-kills-senate-bill-to-re-open-dhs-without-ice-funding?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Kills+Senate+Bill+To+Re-Open+DHS+Without+ICE+Funding">saying</a> the Senate bill — which carved ICE and Border Patrol out of DHS funding — &#8220;wasn&#8217;t appropriate.&#8221; Emboldened by the president, the House late Friday night rejected the Senate&#8217;s bill, instead passing a separate measure that would fund the entire Department of Homeland Security for 60 days.
What happens next is unclear, as Sanders wasn&#8217;t the only senator to skip town after the final vote. The Senate adjourned Friday for a two-week recess, and has no plans to reconvene before its planned April 13 return. As of Saturday morning, the partial shutdown of DHS has become the longest funding lapse in American history, surpassing 2025&#8217;s record-breaking government shutdown.
Sanders&#8217;s first-class escape makes him the latest lawmaker to be dinged for aerial hypocrisy amid the ongoing shutdown. As Americans waited up to four hours in TSA lines, members of Congress were often able to skip the lines entirely, making use of a perk exclusive to lawmakers. Delta Air Lines earned praise for suspending its special &#8220;congressional desk,&#8221; but as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/did-delta-stop-vip-treatment-for-congress-its-complicated?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Did+Delta+Stop+VIP+Treatment+For+Congress%3F+It%E2%80%99s+Complicated.">reported</a>, lawmakers were still able to skip the security lines.
About 20 minutes before his flight departed, <a href="https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/2037594741273989383?s=20">Sanders took to X</a> to slam Elon Musk and &#8220;the wealthiest people in the world&#8221; for their views on AI. The senator is often criticized for railing against the wealthy, considering he himself is a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bloomberg-nails-socialist-bernie-youre-a-millionaire-with-3-houses">millionaire</a> who owns three homes.
On Saturday, Sanders will attend a &#8220;No Kings&#8221; rally in St. Paul, Minnesota — an event organized to protest Trump, an elected official.

Untitled design – 2026-03-28T100612.158

See How Bernie Sanders Bails On DHS Fight In Rules For Thee Not For Me Move

Airports

Bernie Sanders

Department of Homeland Security

Government Shutdown

Senate

After weeks of airport meltdowns and unpaid security agents, the Senate finally blinked.
In a late-night vote that stretched into the early hours of Friday morning, lawmakers passed a funding bill to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security, a move aimed squarely at ending the travel nightmare and getting TSA agents paid again.
The deal comes after a brutal 42-day partial shutdown that left travelers stuck in massive lines, airports understaffed, and TSA officers working without pay. Some quit. Others called out. The result was exactly what you would expect. Chaos.
Now, relief may be on the way.
The bill funds most DHS operations and is expected to restore pay for TSA workers, easing pressure on airports that have been pushed to the brink.
The deal on the table still needs to clear the House before heading to President Donald Trump’s desk, but momentum is clearly there after the overnight breakthrough.
There is a catch.
The legislation leaves out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Border Patrol, setting up the next fight in Washington. That battle is not going away. It is just been delayed.
Democrats were quick to claim they “held the line” on immigration provisions. Republicans, meanwhile, moved to act as airport conditions deteriorated and the need to get TSA agents paid grew more urgent.
In a Truth Social post just hours earlier, Trump mocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer,” saying Democrats had made it clear they stand “on the side of criminal illegal aliens, and not the American people,” while accusing them of refusing to fund immigration enforcement unless Republicans agreed to “Open Border Policies.”
In that same post, Trump signaled he was ready to step in to make sure TSA agents could receive paychecks again and provide for their families, with or without Congress, raising the stakes on lawmakers to get something done.
They finally did. At 2 a.m.

Empty_Congress_Money_TSA

Senate Strikes Overnight Deal To Pay TSA Agents In Bid To End Airport Chaos

Democrats

President Trump

Republicans

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent jumped into action after a baby stuck in a crowded TSA line with his family stopped breathing at JFK International Airport in New York on Thursday.
Video footage released by the Department of Homeland Security showed a man holding a baby notice something wrong with the child and begin to rush out of the line. An ICE agent who noticed the emergency sprinted over to help the man. The agent performed a Heimlich maneuver, and the baby began breathing again, the Homeland Security Department said.
&#8220;This officer’s extraordinary bravery embodies the selfless service of DHS law enforcement,&#8221; Homeland Security added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At JFK Airport, as travelers waited in hours-long lines, an infant became unresponsive and stopped breathing. The panic of the child’s family and nearby passengers were heard by an ICE agent stationed at a checkpoint.
This heroic officer immediately sprang into action—rushing… <a href="https://t.co/JOJaFSEIZK">pic.twitter.com/JOJaFSEIZK</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2037224777598042472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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According to Fox News, the baby was a 1-year-old boy who was being held by his father when he suddenly stopped breathing.
&#8220;The agent working at his post heard the screams from the father and other passengers and sprinted to the scene,&#8221; the DHS told Fox News. &#8220;The father handed the child to the officer, who then assessed the unresponsive child and began performing the Heimlich maneuver. After a few seconds, the child started breathing again. EMS personnel arrived on scene with medical equipment to further monitor and re-assess the child. The child was re-assessed and determined to be healthy enough to fly.&#8221;
ICE agents were deployed by President Donald Trump earlier this week to help with crowd control and security as the partial government shutdown affecting TSA employees continues. Many American travelers have praised the ICE agents for helping bring down wait times at busy airports and for handing out water and helping people navigate the airport headaches.
Daily Wire reporter Jennie Taer was at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston this week and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reality-vs-political-narrative-daily-wire-goes-to-the-front-lines-of-ice-at-airports">reported</a> that the interactions between ICE agents and passengers were largely positive, with some shaking hands and expressing appreciation as they waited in long screening lines.
President Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116290799193660420">praised</a> ICE agents&#8217; work at airports around the country, writing, “I am so proud of our ICE Patriots! They were unfairly maligned by the Lunatic Democrats for years, and now, at the Airports, in addition to what they are supposed to be doing, they are helping people with bags, even picking up and cleaning areas.&#8221;

Trump Sends ICE Agents To Airports As DHS Remains Unfunded

WATCH: ICE Agent Saves Baby Who Stopped Breathing In TSA Line

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Leftist Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is threatening to arrest federal immigration agents helping at airports during the partial government shutdown.
Krasner made the remarks during a Tuesday press conference at the Philadelphia International Airport, one of roughly a dozen airports where the Trump administration has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to offset Transportation Security Administration staffing shortages.
&#8220;You commit crimes within the jurisdiction that is the city and county of Philadelphia, I prosecute you. That is how it works,&#8221; Krasner said. &#8220;No, I don&#8217;t take a phone call from the president saying &#8216;Let him go.&#8217; No, the president cannot pardon you. I&#8217;ll say it again, the president cannot pardon you. And yes, I will put you in handcuffs, and I will put you in a courtroom, and if necessary I will put you in a jail cell.&#8221;
Krasner also warned against excessive force, citing recent controversies involving federal agents in Minnesota.
&#8220;If you decide to make the terrazzo floor of this airport anything like what you did in the streets of Minneapolis, which involved the criminal homicide of unarmed innocent people, we are not having that here,&#8221; Krasner said. &#8220;To any agent who might think about doing it an illegal way, I&#8217;ll be seeing you in court, and you&#8217;re not gonna like it.&#8221;
The comments come as ICE agents have been deployed to assist with airport operations during the ongoing DHS shutdown, which has strained TSA staff.
During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Wednesday, TSA Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said the additional ICE personnel have provided relief at the airports experiencing long lines.
&#8220;The ICE agents that are there are doing non-specialized screening functions, it&#8217;s been incredibly helpful to alleviate the burden on our workforce and we&#8217;re getting positive feedback from passengers and our field leadership alike,&#8221; McNeill said.
With no end to the shutdown in sight, travelers are forced to wait hours in lines to reach a TSA screening point at some airports. More than 3,450 TSA officers, who account for roughly 11.76% of the workforce, called out on Sunday, <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/travel/precheck-clear-airport-wait-times/#:~:text=TSA%20staffing%20shortages%20hit%20major,an%20impasse%20over%20DHS%20funding." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NewsNation. Since the shutdown began in mid-February, more than 450 TSA officers have quit.
At Houston&#8217;s George Bush International Airport, where wait times hovered around four hours Tuesday, ICE officers distributed water, assisted travelers, and helped maintain order in long lines, The Daily Wire observed.
Some passengers took the time to thank the officers and shake their hands as they waited.

Screenshot 2026-03-25 at 11.17.54 AM

‘I Will Put You In A Jail Cell’: Leftist Philly DA Threatens ICE Agents Helping TSA

Anti-ICE

Democrat

Philadelphia

New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose hostility to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been well-documented, slammed the Trump administration’s decision to deploy ICE agents to some airports as staffing shortages resulting from a partial government shutdown continue.
Mamdani, a vocal critic of Trump&#8217;s immigration enforcement efforts, took to social media on Tuesday, saying &#8220;ICE doesn’t belong at our airports,&#8221; while simultaneously directing illegal immigrants to a municipal &#8220;legal hotline&#8221; to help them with &#8220;updated guidance.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ICE doesn’t belong at our airports.
Our Office of Immigrant Affairs has updated guidance and you can call their legal hotline at 800-354-0365. <a href="https://t.co/D5LW8FEwyq">https://t.co/D5LW8FEwyq</a>
&mdash; Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2036538879742820369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
For Mamdani, the presence of ICE isn&#8217;t about security; it&#8217;s about &#8220;terrorizing&#8221; people. He has called for abolishing ICE, describing it as a &#8220;rogue agency&#8221; with &#8220;no interest in laws,&#8221; apparently oblivious to the irony that his own administration’s &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; posturing is the ultimate defiance of law and order.
In 2025, he stated that ICE was &#8220;a rogue agency, one that has no interest in laws, no interest in order.&#8221;
Appearing on CNN in January, Mamdani lamented the &#8220;heightened sense of anxiety and fear&#8221; felt by New Yorkers, describing the deployment of law enforcement as &#8220;cruel and inhumane.&#8221;
While Mamdani has played the role of the aggrieved activist, border czar Tom Homan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-homan-lays-out-what-americans-can-expect-as-ice-moves-into-airports-monday?utm_source=chatgpt.com">provided</a> the cold, hard dose of reality. With the TSA hobbled by a DHS shutdown, Homan explained that ICE agents — highly trained law enforcement professionals — are stepping in to fill the gaps, guarding exits and managing security lines so the remaining TSA staff can focus on specialized screening. When pressed on whether ICE would still be performing its primary mission while at the airport, Homan was refreshingly blunt: &#8220;We do immigration enforcement at airports all the time &#8230; it’s not going to change.&#8221;
Predictably, the left-wing establishment trotted out John Sandweg, who served as acting ICE director under President Obama. Sandweg <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ice-agents-deploy-to-major-u-s-airports-as-tsa-faces-shutdown-shortages">railed</a> against the move, claiming TSA agents have to be “highly skilled” and undergo extensive training, bloviating, “Although ICE agents have tremendous law enforcement experience, they&#8217;re not &#8212; they can&#8217;t step in and run the X-ray or conduct one of those pat-down searches, or even do the baggage inspection that happens behind the scenes,” he said.
Ultimately, Mamdani’s hostility toward ICE isn&#8217;t about airport efficiency or &#8220;public safety.&#8221; It is about a fundamental rejection of the idea that a nation-state has the right to monitor its own points of entry. While Homan works to keep the lines moving and the borders secure, Mamdani remains committed to a radical ideology that prioritizes political posturing over the safety of the city he supposedly leads.

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Mamdani Slams ICE Airport Deployment While Promoting ‘Hotline’

Zohran Mamdani

Despite warnings from Democratic lawmakers that deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to airports could lead to violence, travelers waiting in hours-long lines at Houston&#8217;s George Bush Intercontinental Airport appeared to welcome their presence on Tuesday.
At the airport, smiling ICE officers were seen handing out water bottles, offering to hold travelers&#8217; places in line for bathroom breaks, and providing some comedic relief, The Daily Wire observed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Contrary to the narrative in corporate media, many travelers at Houston’s IAH airport appear to be welcoming ICE’s presence—officers are handing out water and even holding spots in line so people can take bathroom breaks. <a href="https://t.co/Z2AzY0zW0B">pic.twitter.com/Z2AzY0zW0B</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) <a href="https://twitter.com/JennieSTaer/status/2036471897748025698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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President Donald Trump announced Sunday that ICE would be deployed to some airports to assist staffing shortages affecting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) during the ongoing partial government shutdown.
More than 3,450 TSA officers, roughly 11.76% of the force, called out of work Sunday, <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/travel/precheck-clear-airport-wait-times/#:~:text=TSA%20staffing%20shortages%20hit%20major,an%20impasse%20over%20DHS%20funding." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NewsNation. At George Bush Airport in Houston, the absentee rate reached approximately 36%, Fox News reported. Additionally, more than 450 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began in mid-February.
Several Democratic lawmakers had suggested that ICE would escalate tensions at America&#8217;s airports. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) <a href="https://x.com/SenBlumenthal/status/2035754555963568626?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> ICE agents would &#8220;only aggravate delays &amp; lines — disrupting checks, interrogating travelers, dragging parents from children, detaining citizens, brutalizing families, shooting &amp; even killing.&#8221; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5795350-jeffries-criticizes-trump-ice-tsa-airports/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the &#8220;untrained ICE agents&#8221; could &#8220;potentially &#8230; brutalize or in some instances&#8221; kill American travelers.
A video that circulated online appeared to show ICE officers tackling a woman at San Francisco International Airport, prompting additional criticism. But Trump did not deploy ICE to that airport, and the Department of Homeland Security said the footage was dated. It involved a Guatemalan family with an outstanding deportation order from 2019.
At Bush Airport, however, The Daily Wire observed that the interactions between ICE agents and passengers were largely positive, with some shaking hands and expressing appreciation as they waited in long screening lines.
Some travelers said they expected to miss their flights, while others were attempting to travel again after being unable to get through security the previous day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Houston traveler shakes an ICE officer’s hand and thanks him for his service. <a href="https://t.co/kk1DyKwS2X">pic.twitter.com/kk1DyKwS2X</a>
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) March 24, 2026</blockquote>
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In response to The Daily Wire&#8217;s footage of the friendly ICE airport scenes, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) wrote on X that &#8220;Democrats want you to believe that ICE officers are monsters,&#8221; adding, &#8220;But in reality, they stepped up when Democrats wouldn’t do THEIR job and pay TSA Agents.&#8221;
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) called out the &#8220;radicals on the left&#8221; who have &#8220;demonized&#8221; ICE, saying, &#8220;the truth is they are hard-working Americans doing a job like you and me.&#8221;
ICE deployed to more than a dozen airports starting Monday, according to Reuters.
It appears they were only met with anti-ICE demonstrators at Atlanta&#8217;s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where roughly 60 protesters shouted &#8220;ICE OUT&#8221; and &#8220;TRUMP PAY TSA WORKERS NOW,&#8221; <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/protestors-gather-outside-atlanta-airport-over-ice-deployment">according</a> to Fox5 Atlanta.

Untitled design – 2026-03-24T201819.628

Reality Vs. Political Narrative: Daily Wire Goes To The Front Lines Of ICE At Airports

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

It&#8217;s time to ask some serious questions.
When you get to the airport next week, a record 171 million of us will get on a plane this spring. Will you be safe?
When you look at the southern border or when you read about Sheridan Gorman, 18 years old, shot in the head while going out for a walk with friends to see the Northern Lights, do you feel safe?
You may even be reading this in line at an airport right now, probably waiting for hours if you are. That is because Democrats decided to shut down funding for the Department of Homeland Security in order to punish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — which is a part of DHS — for enforcing the law.
It doesn&#8217;t matter that ICE&#8217;s legal authority has not changed for decades. 
It doesn&#8217;t matter that under President Trump, they&#8217;re simply doing their job for the first time in decades. DHS must be closed down because ICE is doing their job.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2394-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Democrats don&#8217;t want to enforce the border. If they get the chance, they&#8217;ll return to Biden-era open borders as soon as possible.
Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student at Loyola University in Chicago, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/murder-suspect-in-loyola-university-slaying-is-venezuelan-illegal-released-by-biden?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=67&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Murder+Suspect+In+Loyola+University+Slaying+Is+Venezuelan+Illegal+Released+By+Biden">murdered</a> by a masked man while she was walking in Rogers Park last Thursday.
According to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/suspect-due-court-shooting-loyola-chicago-freshman-sheridan-gorman/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">CBS News</a>:
<blockquote>The shooting happened early last Thursday as Gorman, 18, was walking with her friends near the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach at Pratt Boulevard to take in the Chicago skyline. Prosecutors said, as Gorman and her friends were walking toward the lighthouse at the end of the pier shortly after 1 a.m., Gorman told her friends she saw someone hiding behind the lighthouse. When Medina came out from behind the lighthouse, Gorman and her friends ran away, and Medina shot Gorman in the back. The bullet exited her neck.</blockquote>
The alleged murderer was a Venezuelan national in the United States illegally, according to the New York Times. Medina was released into the United States by the Biden administration in May 2023 after he had contact with Border Patrol agents. According to federal officials, Medina was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting in Chicago in June 2023, and then released. 
Gigantic shock.
You might ask yourself: If someone is arrested for shoplifting and they are an illegal immigrant, why are they still here?
The answer, of course, is that Chicago is a sanctuary city. That means that the city and state of Illinois, a Democratic state, prevent local officials from cooperating with federal law enforcement. That is why Medina was free to allegedly commit a cold-blooded murder.
If local law enforcement had notified ICE that they&#8217;d arrested an illegal immigrant and then held him until ICE arrived, Gorman would probably still be alive. Republicans up to and including President Trump have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-doesnt-hold-back-when-daily-wire-asks-about-loyola-murder-suspect-and-biden-era-link?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=44&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Doesn%E2%80%99t+Hold+Back+When+Daily+Wire+Asks+About+Loyola+Murder+Suspect+And+Biden-Era+Link">pointed out</a> that simple fact.
Senator Ted Cruz correctly <a href="https://x.com/SenTedCruz/status/2036194371318731131">pointed out</a>, “Gorman&#8217;s killer was an illegal alien who should never have been in our country. Joe Biden&#8217;s open border policies and Governor Pritzker&#8217;s refusal to accept President Trump&#8217;s help are the reasons why she is not with us today.”
Correct. 
President Trump <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/2036097183275975161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2036097183275975161%7Ctwgr%5Ec0874bea6be8bc9e9e71c1ae489ffb7959454bd9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Ftrump-doesnt-hold-back-when-daily-wire-asks-about-loyola-murder-suspect-and-biden-era-link">said</a>, “It&#8217;s devastating. These people were let in by Biden. We&#8217;re getting them out. We&#8217;re getting them out fast. That&#8217;s why ICE is so important. They&#8217;re doing such a good job. This &#8230; this animal — I saw the whole thing last night, they gave me a briefing — came in through Joe Biden with his open door policy and his border czar Kamala, who never saw the border.”
Democrats, however, are still making excuses. A Chicago alderman named Maria Hadden actually speculated it might have been Gorman&#8217;s fault.
You see, when you get shot in the back of the head by an illegal immigrant who was hiding while you were out seeing the Northern Lights, it&#8217;s possible that it&#8217;s your fault for startling that illegal immigrant. It’s like walking into an endangered species arena at the zoo or something. It&#8217;s your fault if something bad happens to you.
She <a href="https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/2036134913921937785">said</a>: “Then they go out on the pier, they walk around. So the kids were out doing normal, normal things people do in the neighborhood. And it sounds like this might have been a wrong place, wrong time, running into a person who had a gun. They might have startled this person at the end of the pier, unintentionally.”
Other Democrats, of course, are claiming that this is all happening because we incarcerate too many criminals.
This is the big Democratic move: It&#8217;s been true for decades. The idea is that criminality happens because too many criminals are in jail. It’s sort of like the argument that if you kill too many terrorists, you&#8217;re just creating new terrorists.
Which is weird because when you kill terrorists, then they&#8217;re dead. The same thing is true of people who are in jail: When they&#8217;re in jail, you know what they&#8217;re not doing?
They&#8217;re not on the streets shooting people.
And yet, this is the typical Democratic take. It is idiotic.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson <a href="https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/1993419780108550293">said back in</a> November 2025, “We cannot incarcerate our way out of violence. We&#8217;ve already tried that, and we&#8217;ve ended up with the largest prison population in the world without solving the problems of crime and violence, the addiction on jails and incarceration in this country. We have moved past that. It is racist. It is immoral. It is unholy, and it is not the way to drive violence down.”
I beg to differ. I think it&#8217;s a great way to drive violence down. Keeping criminals in jail is a great way for them not to commit crimes against people on the streets, because they&#8217;re in jail.
Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office issued this statement: “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and Loyola University community grieving the senseless murder of Sheridan Gorman. Violent crime has no place in our streets. We expect the alleged perpetrator to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The Trump administration needs to stop politicizing heinous tragedies and instead focus on real solutions, like reinstating federal funds to prevent violence that support our public safety efforts.”
That&#8217;s crazy. Politicizing heinous tragedies instead of focusing on real solutions? It is not politicization to point to the specific policy that could have stopped this murder in the first place. In fact, it is playing politics to ignore that policy for political reasons.
But Democrats are addicted to playing politics on illegal immigration. They&#8217;ve decided that illegal immigrants are the finest among us and deserve our undying sympathy, and that we ought to defund the agency that houses ICE in order to facilitate illegal immigration.
Meanwhile, the partial DHS shutdown has had the effect not just of defunding ICE, but defunding the TSA — in the middle of a war. This initially led to gigantic lines around the country at airports. In response, the administration said that it will deploy ICE officers to man the TSA lines because ICE actually has some leftover funding from the last round of funding.
Now, even CNN is saying ICE is helping with wait times.
If safety is your number one issue, I don’t see how you can vote Democrat.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRANSPORTATION-AVIATION

Thanks, Democrats! Unsafe Airports, Unsafe Streets

J.B. Pritzker

Murder

Opinion

Long lines and delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have become a flashpoint in the competitive United States Senate race in Georgia.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) faced immediate criticism from Republican primary candidates in his state for voting against funding the Department of Homeland Security, which has resulted in TSA agents and other essential DHS personnel working without pay. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the lone Democrat who voted to fund the DHS.
“Jon Ossoff and Democrats caused this to protect illegal aliens. That’s it,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) posted to X in response to a <a href="https://x.com/MikeCollinsGA/status/2035727466375905481?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> showing the lines. The airport had informed travelers to arrive four hours early for their flights on Monday.
Former NCAA football coach and Republican Senate hopeful Derek Dooley pointed out the contrast between Fetterman and Ossoff on the shutdown in a video he posted from the airport on Sunday.
“It&#8217;s ridiculous. That&#8217;s exactly why we need new leadership in D.C. This is nothing about the people. We need leaders who are gonna put their people first,” <a href="https://x.com/DerekDooleyGA/status/2035810012681920769?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dooley</a> said.
“Just a bunch of politics. Come on, Ossoff. Fetterman agrees. He&#8217;s not for this. He&#8217;s a Democrat. And listen, where&#8217;s the rest of Congress?” he said, calling for a solution to resolve the shutdown, which started over disagreements about federal immigration enforcement policies.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) dubbed it the “Schumer-Ossoff Shutdown” in one <a href="https://x.com/RepBuddyCarter/status/2036100550035411339?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>, and plainly stated in another <a href="https://x.com/RepBuddyCarter/status/2036111733102661690?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> that the six-hour lines at TSA in Atlanta are “because Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff voted to SHUT DOWN the Department of Homeland Security.”
As negotiations continue in Washington, Senate Democrats have argued that Republicans are not interested in funding TSA. Republicans voted against a move by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to fund federal airport employees, though it would leave out other agencies within DHS.
“Donald Trump’s obstruction is denying TSA workers pay and creating havoc at airports. While negotiations continue over ICE, there is no reason TSA should be held hostage. Republicans must stop blocking TSA funding immediately,” Ossoff said in a <a href="https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/press-releases/new-senate-republicans-block-tsa-funding-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on March 21.
When his campaign was contacted by The Daily Wire for comment on the Republican criticism, they deferred to a comment from the Democratic Party of Georgia.
“Senate Democrats have called for funding TSA for weeks, and Republicans have blocked it every step of the way because they are taking orders from Donald Trump,” DPG Chair Charlie Bailey said in a statement. “We could pay TSA agents and end the chaos at airports across the country if Republicans like Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Derek Dooley told their Party to quit standing in the way and get it done.”
A 2017 <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/jon-ossoff-race-first-real-battle-millennials-vs-trump-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mother Jones</a> story noted that Ossoff has had a pilot&#8217;s license since he was a teen, and described his plans at the time to rent a Cessna plane for a short hiking trip in the Appalachian Mountains with his friends. <a href="https://freebeacon.com/elections/ossoff-whose-father-took-1-mil-from-govt-relief-fund-slams-greedy-business-owners-for-raiding-ppp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Free Beacon</a> reported in 2020 that Ossoff’s businessman father bought a private plane in 2014.
As for the Republicans in the race, President Donald Trump has yet to make an endorsement ahead of May 19. Whoever wins the race will be in one of the most competitive elections in the country in 2026. Ossoff is the only incumbent Democrat in a “toss-up” race, according to the <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a>.
“Jon Ossoff cares more about protecting illegals like Laken Riley&#8217;s killer than standing with hardworking Georgians,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia stated. “Ossoff never refuses a chance to use Georgians as political pawns. Ossoff must stop putting illegals first and end his DHS shutdown.”
ICE agents were sent to assist at airports across the nation on Monday, including Hartsfield-Jackson, as hundreds of TSA agents have called out or quit. The Atlanta airport alone had a callout rate of 41.5% on Sunday, according to <a href="https://x.com/krisvancleave/status/2036100167695507499?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a>.

One In Ten Airport Screeners Skip Work As Funding Fight Drags On

Travel Headaches Take On Political Weight — With A Critical Vote In Focus

Battleground Democrat Senator Slammed For Airport Fiasco In His State: 'Ridiculous'

2026 election

Georgia

homeland security

Immigration

Jon Ossoff

Transportation

Some travelers spent as many as nine hours waiting in line at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday, according to <a href="https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/long-lines-out-door-atlanta-airport-ice-agents-arrive-assist-tsa/SIDSKEKZXJGHHNBXBYESLHHYVI/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WSB-TV</a>.
On Monday, the report noted that wait times ranged from four hours down to less than an hour depending on the time of day, as Americans continue to grow frustrated with the high number of TSA callouts. Essential DHS workers, like TSA agents, are forced to work without a paycheck due to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
“Due to TSA staffing constraints, ATL is continuing to see longer than normal wait times at security checkpoints,” the airport posted to X on Monday morning.
“Travelers are encouraged to arrive at least 4 hours early. We appreciate your patience and thank our federal and airport partners for their continued dedication,” the post continued.
According to Reuters, the Atlanta airport had a 41.5% callout rate for TSA agents, with other major airports having callout rates ranging from 20-40%. Hundreds of agents have quit their jobs entirely since the shutdown began in mid-February.
“As the Democrats’ DHS shutdown continues, many TSA officers are facing extraordinary financial hardship—forcing them to call out of work and take on side jobs to support their families,” the Department of Homeland Security posted to X on Monday regarding the <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2036121763701002738?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">callout numbers</a>. “Democrats are hurting Americans—and they don&#8217;t care.”
Videos on social media also showed ICE agents deployed to assist TSA agents at the airport, along with other airports around the country, on Monday morning in hopes of speeding up the lines. Atlanta is considered the busiest airport in the entire country, as it is a hub for Delta Air Lines and is considered a major connection for travelers.
Trump noted on Monday morning that ICE agents will not be wearing masks at the airport, as it’s become commonplace for the agents to do so during immigration operations, as proponents argue that it prevents doxing.
“I am a BIG proponent of ICE wearing masks as they search for, and are forced to deal with, hardened criminals, many of whom were let into our Country by Sleepy Joe Biden and his wonderful ‘Border Czar,’ Kamala (she never even went to the Border!), through their absolutely INSANE Open Border Policy,” he posted to Truth Social.
“I would greatly appreciate, however, NO MASKS, when helping our Country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports, etc. Thank you!” he added.
It’s unclear when the shutdown will end, as Congress has yet to reach a deal to end the closure, which started because of disagreements over federal immigration enforcement policies.

Long lines form outside Atlanta International Airport

Travelers Spent Nine Hours In TSA Line As Major Hub Becomes DHS Shutdown Flashpoint

Atlanta

Congress

U.S.

Egregious wait times at airports have quickly become all the rage — quite literally — as traveler frustration boils over, but the severity varies widely from one airport to another. 
While some airports are reporting delays of six hours or more, others are moving travelers through security in six minutes or less. Why? The answer lies in staffing models and privatization. 
During the government shutdown, private contractors continue to be paid through pre-funded contracts, while federal TSA employees are not. As a result, many TSA officers have called out or quit, while privately staffed airports remain largely unaffected.
On Sunday, more than 10% of TSA agents called out nationwide. New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) saw the highest rate, with 42.3% of agents absent. &#8220;This pointless, reckless shutdown of our homeland security workforce has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent,&#8221; said Lauren Bis, acting assistant DHS secretary.
Roughly 20 airports in the United States participate in the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program (SPP), which allows private contractors to handle security screening instead of federal TSA officers. Most travelers do not even notice the difference. 
The private contractors are held to the same standards as federally employed officers. Unlike TSA, private screeners are paid through pre-funded federal contracts, meaning their compensation is not disrupted during a government shutdown. TSA officers, however, are paid directly by the federal government and can be affected when funding lapses. 
Dr. Evette Richards, who flew from one of the private contractor airports in Kansas City, Missouri, told the Daily Wire she had a smooth experience. 
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Here’s the not-so-surprising reason your airport may have a longer wait time than others… <a href="https://t.co/Bim0GhwMuy">pic.twitter.com/Bim0GhwMuy</a>
— Brecca Stoll (@breccastoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/breccastoll/status/2036184530491425030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“I walked right in,” she said. “I believe our airport has contract TSA, so we are not in the long lines and the difficulties other people are experiencing, and hopefully we can get that resolved quickly because all those individuals [federal TSA employees] working without pay is just unbelievable.”
The partial government shutdown started on February 14, when the Department of Homeland Security&#8217;s funding expired. That meant February marked the last paycheck for TSA agents. They won&#8217;t see one again until Congressional Republicans and Democrats can agree on funding. Democrats will not fund the department without limitations and oversight placed on ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. Republicans want DHS funded without those conditions. TSA is simply caught in the crosshairs.
Amidst the drama, President Trump turned up the temperature by deploying ICE agents at fourteen airports on Monday to assist TSA. But funding DHS does not seem to be the president&#8217;s top priority for Congress. Trump said Congress should focus on passing the SAVE Act, which would require voters to bring legal identification to the polls. He even <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5796693-trump-republicans-save-act/">suggested</a> Congress should forgo Easter to get the legislation done.

Why Are Some Airports Impacted Worse Than Others?

Some Airports Are Plagued by Long Waits—Others Aren’t

Air Travel

Democrat Shutdown

The Real Reason Your Airport Is Now A Disaster Zone

Airlines

Donald Trump

illegal alien

illegal immigrants

Matt Walsh

In what proved to be the kind of small divine intervention that gives one comfort the man upstairs is, indeed, looking out for them, I groggily awoke around 8:00 a.m. Sunday despite setting my alarm for 10:00 just a few hours before.
Southwest Airlines flight 1553 was scheduled to depart from New Orleans to D.C. at 12:35 p.m. This was the fourth time I was flying in six days, and I hadn&#8217;t had any TSA troubles yet. I planned to get to the airport a little earlier than usual, but nothing too crazy.
Before going back to sleep, I checked the bachelor party group chat, and everything changed. Our forward scout Will, who had booked a 5:50 a.m. flight home like an absolute psychopath, sent us photos from the TSA line around 4:00 a.m. Miles long. I quickly opened the Everything App (X) and searched &#8220;MSY&#8221;. Horror stories were quickly flooding in. I realized I had overlooked a key factor: spring break travelers.
Having been out on Bourbon Street until roughly 3:30 a.m. with the groom-to-be, my wits weren&#8217;t fully about me. I busted open the two tactical Excedrin Extra Strength packets I had stowed in my backpack for this very moment, swigged down the last bit of bottled drinking water I had, freshened up in the bathroom, and called my Uber.
I hurried downstairs and spotted one of my compatriots passed out face down on a couch. His flight was at noon. It was approaching 0845 CDT. It was over for him, so I left him behind — it&#8217;s what he would&#8217;ve wanted.
My Uber arrived and the real challenges began to stack up. My driver, pronouns stated in his Uber bio, was not aware there was a government shutdown affecting airport activity until I mentioned it.
&#8220;Are you f*cking sh*tting me? Again?&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/Dylan_Housman/status/2035717566815977677">he screamed</a>, immediately growing belligerent just moments after jovially asking me if we had gone to any &#8220;t*tty bars&#8221; (we did not).
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In Uber to the airport. I broke the news to my driver that there is a DHS shutdown. He immediately started yelling about Trump, &#8220;we gotta yank this guy out of office man, he&#8217;s fucking up our country!&#8221;
The best argument against democracy is a conversation with the average voter
— Dylan Housman (@Dylan_Housman) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dylan_Housman/status/2035717566815977677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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I explained to him it was just for DHS, which of course included TSA. &#8220;We gotta get this guy outta here man, he&#8217;s f*cking up our country!&#8221; he bellowed about President Trump. I didn&#8217;t have it in me to correct him. His blue delusion wouldn&#8217;t go far in deep red Louisiana anyway, and I was fighting for my life in the back seat of his Subaru.
We arrived at the airport. Southwest flight 1553 departed in three hours and 35 minutes. I entered the front door of the terminal and spotted the proverbial huddled masses, snaking in line after line around the floor. I glanced up to the second level, where the lines continued. I asked an employee where the line began, and she pointed me to the parking garage.
<div id="attachment_1064507" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064507" class="wp-image-1064507 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016262-432x576.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016262-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016262-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016262-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016262-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016262-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016262-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" />Lines in the parking garage for TSA at the New Orleans airport. (Dylan Housman)</div>
I walked out to the garage and assumed my spot in the labyrinth. It snaked around floor P1 at least 4 times before making its way inside. I had received a heads-up about the garage situation from the groom, David, who had arrived a couple of hours prior for his 10:00 a.m. flight. He said he was still outside.
Despair and chaos have fully gripped the crowd. &#8220;My flight is boarding now,&#8221; I heard one man say to an airport employee nearby. &#8220;He&#8217;s a goner,&#8221; I turned around and said to the two men behind me. It turned out they would be in due course as well.
&#8220;Ground exfil is proceeding well,&#8221; read a text in the group chat from Hayden, who was making the eight-hour drive back to Nashville. Lucky bastard. There was no sign of the copious amounts of Ole Miss fraternity brothers and their dates we had met the night before, either. A six-hour drive back to Oxford sounded nice right about now.
One hour into the snake. Southwest flight 1553 departed in two hours and 10 minutes. I assume at this point I am thoroughly cooked and begin looking at alternative flight options.
Direct to DCA, Baltimore, or Dulles? Nothing.
One-stop connections? Nothing.
Flights from Baton Rouge, Mobile, or Lafayette? Nothing.
The reality of potentially spending my Sunday night at the New Orleans airport Hilton begins to set in.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve just got to make it through to the gates,&#8221; I say to myself. &#8220;So many people are gonna be missing flights, I&#8217;ll be able to get on something else on standby.&#8221;
Then David throws me yet another curveball. &#8220;They&#8217;re not letting anyone in who has missed their flight already,&#8221; he texted me. &#8220;I had to book a standby seat on a full flight just for TSA to let me through.&#8221;
There were no other flights for me to book, not even for standby. I hurriedly searched for the cheapest flight departing MSY that day in the evening, just so I would have a boarding pass to show the TSA legionnaire manning the scanner. $130 for a Frontier flight to LAX at 7:00 p.m., connecting via Midway, it was.
<div id="attachment_1064513" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1064513" class="wp-image-1064513 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016265-432x576.jpg" alt="" width="432" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016265-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016265-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016265-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016265-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016265-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/1000016265-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" />(Dylan Housman)</div>
Southwest flight 1553 departed in one hour and 20 minutes. I&#8217;ve reached the threshold of the airport terminal. A crying child snakes past me in the other direction with her family. Defeated passengers, left for dead, sit on the floor of the Hudson News shop inside. We get to the bottom of the escalator to head up to the *actual* TSA line, where I&#8217;m promptly cut off by a dreadlocked man with three small children. I decide not to call the police, for the sake of the children.
I can see the scanners. Maybe I actually will make it. The line is moving quickly.
&#8220;I need to see your boarding pass,&#8221; the TSA agent says. I show him. Southwest flight 1553, which is leaving in 40 minutes. I&#8217;m through. Bags in the bin. Water bottle poured out. Portable charger through the machine. On the other side, I emerge as my flight begins boarding.
I make it onto the flight as one of the last to board. Total time spent in the TSA line ended up at about two hours and 45 minutes. I spent the taxi time writing a letter to my senators, pleading for mercy to never experience this hell again.

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Drugs, Sweat, And Tears: My Fight Through Spring Break TSA Lines During The Democrat DHS Shutdown

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Washington D.C.

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