Agents with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should start seeing paychecks Monday or Tuesday, but it could still be quite some time before the business of traveling by air returns to business as usual.
Border Czar Tom Homan told CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday that he had spoken with newly sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about President Donald Trump&#8217;s order — which directed him to pay TSA agents out of preexisting funding — and that they expected agents to see their first paychecks in weeks within the coming days.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Border Czar Tom Homan says TSA agents can expect to be paid &#8220;tomorrow or Tuesday.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/b8XBX11sLC">pic.twitter.com/b8XBX11sLC</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2038245064388858129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Homan also addressed Trump&#8217;s decision to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents into airports — a move made to mitigate the chaos of long lines and wait times as the lack of pay led to mass callouts among TSA employees — and said that they may remain in place for a time yet.
&#8220;We’ll see. You know, it depends how many TSA agents come back to work. How many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plan coming back to work? I’m working very closely with TSA administrator and the ICE director to decide what airport needs what,&#8221; Homan told Tapper.
The president issued an executive order on Friday directing Mullin to use funding that had &#8220;a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations&#8221; to ensure that agents received pay. They have not been paid since Democrats voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security some six weeks earlier, forcing a partial government shutdown that has also impacted the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Secret Service.
The Democrats voted to block the DHS funding bill after the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the ICE surge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, despite the fact that ICE agents were still being paid under provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
But as Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2037604682370003061">reported</a>, only frontline ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents are receiving paychecks amid the shutdown.
&#8220;The ICE, Border Patrol, and CBP agents we see in the field are all getting paid via OBBB. HOWEVER &#8230; their professional and civilian support staff are NOT being paid,&#8221; Melugin explained. &#8220;These are people who work the computers, the public affairs offices, and other support staff who aren&#8217;t on the front line making immigration arrests, but are supporting the agents who are. These civilian support staffers haven&#8217;t been paid for almost half of the last six months when you factor in the prior shutdown last fall.&#8221;
In an effort to get the TSA funded, the Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-strikes-overnight-deal-to-pay-tsa-agents-in-bid-to-end-airport-chaos">passed a measure</a> on Thursday that would break the logjam for most of DHS — with the exception of ICE and some parts of Border Patrol. But following President Trump&#8217;s lead, the House rejected the bill.
Neither the Senate bill nor a House bill that would fully fund DHS includes any of the ICE reforms demanded by Democrats, such as a ban on federal immigration agents wearing masks and a provision requiring judicial warrants for immigration enforcement operations.

TSA_Trump

Trump Gets TSA Paid Starting Today As ICE Presence Hinges On One Key Factor

Paychecks Are Coming For The TSA, But When Will Things Get Back To Normal?

Air Travel

Government Shutdown

Politics

Tom Homan

Former acting ICE Director and current White House Border Czar Tom Homan blasted congressional Democrats over the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding standoff, accusing lawmakers of trying to strong-arm policy changes by withholding funding.
Speaking on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; Homan said the dispute is not about budgetary constraints, but about efforts to curb immigration enforcement.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;President Trump wants the entire <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> funded,&#8221; says <a href="https://twitter.com/RealTomHoman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealTomHoman</a>.
&#8220;They&#8217;re holding the department hostage because they don&#8217;t like what ICE is doing — and ICE is enforcing laws they enacted.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/bMDcSIJ7IB">pic.twitter.com/bMDcSIJ7IB</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2038246477261119706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“President Donald Trump wants the entire Department of Homeland Security funded. He wants the government open and funded,” Homan said. “But the bottom line is they want changes in ICE tactics. They want changes in policy.” Homan argued that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is simply carrying out laws that have remained consistent across multiple administrations.
“The same laws ICE follows today have been in place during the Clinton, Obama [administrations], and now,” he said. “The law hasn’t changed.” According to Homan, lawmakers are privately pushing to limit arrests rather than openly advocating for abolishing ICE.
“They can say they don’t want to abolish ICE — I’m in the room,” he said. “They want to change operations so we arrest fewer people.” The remarks come as Congress remains locked in a dispute over DHS funding, with negotiations increasingly tied to immigration enforcement demands. Some lawmakers have pushed for additional oversight measures and operational restrictions, including expanded use of body cameras and clearer guidelines around enforcement locations.
Homan noted that ICE has already engaged in discussions on some of those issues, including funding for body cameras, which he said has been allocated at roughly $120 million. But he rejected claims that agents are routinely targeting sensitive locations such as churches or hospitals.
“They can’t point to a single instance—not one—where we’ve arrested anybody in a church or inside of a hospital,” Homan said. “We already practice discretion. We don’t do operations there unless there’s a significant national security threat.”
He added that while discussions over enforcement practices could continue, they should not come at the expense of funding the department. “Why can’t these discussions continue while we keep the Department of Homeland Security open?” Homan said. “They’re holding the department hostage because they don’t like what ICE is doing.”
At the center of the dispute is a fundamental divide between the House and Senate over whether immigration enforcement agencies should be fully funded. The Senate passed a bipartisan measure to reopen most of DHS but excluded funding for ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection, an approach backed by Democrats but rejected by House Republicans. 
House Republicans instead pushed a short-term <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/28/us-house-stopgap-dhs-funding-bill-republicans-senate?">funding bill</a> that includes full funding for ICE, arguing that enforcement agencies should not be carved out of appropriations. That measure passed narrowly but faces strong opposition in the Senate, prolonging the stalemate. 
The deadlock has had tangible consequences across the country. Tens of thousands of DHS employees, particularly Transportation Security Administration workers, have gone without pay for weeks, leading to staffing shortages, airport delays, and mounting pressure on the administration to act. 
President Trump has attempted to mitigate the fallout by signing an emergency order to ensure TSA agents receive pay, which Homan later <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/29/us-news/tom-homan-reveals-when-tsa-will-start-getting-paid-again-following-trumps-executive-order/?">said</a> during the interview “There is a plan to get these TSA agents paid, hopefully by tomorrow or Tuesday,” but many other DHS functions remain affected as lawmakers continue to clash over immigration policy and enforcement reforms. 
Democrats have insisted that any long-term funding deal must include new restrictions or oversight on ICE operations, while Republicans argue that such demands amount to undermining existing law enforcement authority, mirroring the criticism Homan leveled in his interview.
Homan framed the dispute as a fundamental separation-of-powers issue, arguing that Congress should change the law if it disagrees with enforcement outcomes.
“If they don’t like what ICE is doing, then change the law,” he said. “That’s their job.”
As negotiations continue, the standoff underscores a broader clash in Washington over immigration enforcement, one that is increasingly spilling into funding battles with real consequences for federal agencies and the everyday Americans they employ.

Tom Homan Torches Congress As DHS Fight Hits Boiling Point

State of the Union

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

Senate

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would sign an order directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay the Transportation Safety Administration despite the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Trump blamed Democrats in the Senate for showing more concern for illegal aliens than for the American people and continuing to block funding for DHS.
&#8220;The Radical Left Democrats, and their &#8216;Leader,&#8217; Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, have made it very clear where they stand, and that is, ON THE SIDE OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS, AND NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,&#8221; Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. &#8220;They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again.&#8221;
The president went on to attack Democrats for allowing millions of illegals to enter the United States unvetted during previous administrations: &#8220;They almost destroyed our Country, allowing 25 Million People to enter from Prisons, Mental Institutions, and Insane Asylums, those that are Drug Dealers, and thousands of Murderers, many of whom killed more than one person.&#8221;
Trump concluded with his plan to solve the problem: and executive order that would direct newly-sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to pay TSA agents immediately.
&#8220;Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!&#8221; he explained. &#8220;Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer.&#8221;
Democrats have repeatedly voted against funding for DHS, demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before they will sign off on the package. Among their demands are judicial warrants for immigration enforcement actions and a ban on masks for federal immigration agents. The resulting partial government shutdown has impacted pay for the TSA in addition to the U.S. Coast Guard and several others agencies.

President Trump Attends Swearing In Ceremony For New DHS Secretary Mullin

Trump Steps In On TSA Pay, Warns Dems Cannot ‘Hold Our Country Hostage’

Trump Steps In On TSA Pay, Warns Dems Cannot 'Hold Our Country Hostage'

Chuck Schumer

Donald Trump

If you were told that in the year 2026, elected Democrats in Congress would get away with prolonging the longest partial shutdown in history — all to protect illegal aliens — would you believe it? You should, because it’s happening.
Forty days in, and Democrats are holding the entire Department of Homeland Security hostage over a tiny fraction, 8.5 percent, of the agency. Not the TSA. Not FEMA. Not the Coast Guard. Just ICE — and apparently, that’s worth burning the whole thing down. 
 
Following the Minnesota shootings, Democrats have entered another frenzy to abolish, this time targeting ICE officers instead of police. Because “abolish cops” and demonizing a whole group of people whose job is to protect us went so well the first time. They want masks off —despite forcing them on everyone and their grandmother during Covid. Identification shown — despite their open hostility to requiring ID at the ballot box. And operations paused, unless ICE can navigate numerous legal hurdles to get judicial warrants. 
 
All nonstarters for Republicans. So the shutdown drags on. 
 
Democrats are standing ten toes down on defunding ICE — and by extension, all of DHS — while Republicans and the American people plead with them to at least vote to fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and Cyber Security Intelligence. One would think these are reasonable requests, given that we are at war with the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. But common sense left the building a long time ago. 
 
The consequences are not abstract. Yesterday on Capitol Hill, the directors of FEMA, TSA, and CISA testified about the devastating impacts this shutdown is having on their institutions. TSA: &#8220;We are really concerned about our security.&#8221; Think about that — the people responsible for keeping bombs off planes are telling Congress they’re scared. CISA: “The threat environment is too dynamic to allow this shutdown to continue.” And FEMA: “We are crippling our disaster response.” Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill put a number to it: over 480 Transportation Security Officers already gone, with airports running at 40-50% staff capacity, because officers simply cannot afford to show up. 
Democrats did that. They own every single minute of it.
Luckily for Republicans, when political leverage fails, public animosity tends to move the needle. And right now, the public is not happy. TSA lines are seeing historic wait times, and Americans are on edge as terrorism threatens to run amok. And little girls are being <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/sheridan-gorman-loyola-killing-venezuelan-court">killed</a> on Chicago streets by the very people Democrats are going to the mat to defend. 
 
To make problems worse for the “party of love and tolerance,” and in direct contradiction to the Democrats&#8217; broken record narrative, Americans are now seeing ICE agents as they shuffle through these historically long airport lines, not arresting and kidnapping! people, but <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/2036502819000160539">handing out water bottles and shaking hands</a> with the citizens they work to protect. 
 
The flame is burning at both ends for the Left: they’re defending illegal criminals at the expense of Americans, while ICE gets a PR boost for dissolving an airport bottleneck that Democrats created. ICE deployed to Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston has drastically improved security wait times — and more importantly, Americans are meeting these officers in the flesh, share a laugh, and realize that maybe they aren’t the Gestapo after all. 
 
While Democrats are busy mourning the fact that ICE is finally getting good press — press they manufactured —  Sheridan Gorman&#8217;s family in Chicago is planning her funeral, a tragedy Democrats manufactured. 
 
If the very agency Democrats have tried to dehumanize, defund, and destroy were simply allowed to do their job, a young girl would still be walking the earth. Last weekend, Sheridan Gorman was shot in the head and killed by an illegal alien who was protected from ICE and released from prison because of Democrat sanctuary policies. This horrific tragedy, and the adjacent horrors like it, never seem to be enough to get Democrats to budge. They will keep the entire Department of Homeland Security defunded despite American loss. 
 
What will bring them to the negotiating table, apparently, is a streak of good PR for ICE. They can’t have that going on. 
 
It’s a sad day when the killing of a teenage girl at the hands of an illegal alien can’t get Democrats to do their jobs — but footage of ICE agents smiling in an airport might.

Trump Sends ICE Agents To Airports As DHS Remains Unfunded

The Shutdown Is Democrats’ Gift To ICE

Democrats

Democratic senators and the TSA agents they&#8217;re refusing to fund have one thing in common: Neither are showing up for work. There is also one key difference between the two: TSA agents haven’t been paid since February, while Democrat senators are still collecting their $175,000 salaries.  
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) was forced to adjourn a meeting after not one of the sitting Democratic senators on the committee showed up. Senate committees require a quorum to proceed, meaning that at least one member of the minority party must be present to conduct business.  
“I want to thank the Republican members of this committee for showing up to work today, and I look forward to the time when the Democrats do the same,” Cruz said, and proceeded to adjourn the meeting.
At the time, the committee was addressing bipartisan bills such as the Alex Gate Safety Act — which would establish a new safety standard after seven-year-old Alex Quanbeck was crushed by a schoolyard gate — and the Stop The Scroll Act, which mandates social media platforms to display a mental health warning to children using the platform. Twenty-four of the twenty-eight members of the Committee had co-sponsored the legislation on Wednesday’s schedule. 
Ranking minority member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) put out a statement attributing her absenteeism to a procedural disagreement. “Committees can only function when members have a voice and their amendments are fairly considered,” she said. “This committee has never done what the majority tried to do today. The committee has to allow amendment votes as we did with Senators Lee and Cruz when they proposed hundreds of amendments when they were in the minority.” 
A Democratic committee spokesperson added context to Cantwell&#8217;s statement, saying, &#8220;At the last minute, we learned that Chair Cruz planned to roll all democratic amendments on all bills into one en bloc vote.&#8221; The change in procedure means all the amendments would be voted on all at once instead of individually.
The spokesperson told The Daily Wire this would prevent members from offering and debating amendments separately and that if normal procedures were followed, she and other Democrats would have attended to work on the legislation.
Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), another member of the committee, voiced concern that no-shows could become a pattern. “I fear that this is going to spread like a cancer around the senate and we’ll see additional committees suffer the same fate as the Commerce Committee did today.” 
Lummis told The Daily Wire, “In case my Democrat colleagues need a reminder, the American people pay their salaries.” She added, “Today’s display of shameful — and quite frankly childish — behavior by Senate Democrats is an embarrassment. While my colleagues refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security and force thousands of employees to work without pay, they cannot be bothered to show up for the job they were elected to do. The American people deserve better, and should be justifiably outraged.”
Tensions between the parties remain elevated as Congress works to reach a funding deal to end the partial government shutdown, which has left the Department of Homeland Security unfunded since February. Republican lawmakers want to fund DHS as it currently operates, while Democrats are pushing for reforms as a condition of funding. Those proposed reforms include requiring judicial warrants for immigration enforcement activities rather than relying on administrative warrants, which are currently signed by ICE officials rather than judges. Newly sworn-in DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has indicated support for some reforms, but not all of those on the Democratic wish-list.
Democrats have also called for ICE officers to stop wearing masks during operations and to avoid conducting enforcement activities near &#8220;<a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/democrats-to-demand-ice-reforms-from-white-house-in-dhs-funding-counter/">sensitive</a>&#8221; locations.

Empty_Congress_Money_TSA

Paid Democrats And Unpaid TSA Agents Have One Thing In Common

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

Border czar Tom Homan detailed the plan to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to U.S. airports beginning on Monday to aid TSA workers in the wake of the ongoing DHS shutdown.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday with host Dana Bash, Homan first explained that he is working with the administrator of TSA and the director of ICE to develop a game plan.
“First of all, are ICE agents even remotely trained to handle security at airports?” Bash asked, to which Homan replied that ICE already operates at airports, and this new wave of agents would be helping in mostly non-specialized security-related areas.
“[We’ve] got TSA agents covering exits — you know, people that enter through the exits. Certainly a highly-trained ICE law enforcement officer can cover an exit, make sure people don&#8217;t … enter the airport through the exits, and stuff like that relieves that TSA officer to go to screening and to reduce those lines,” Homan said. “So, wherever we can provide extra security.”
The border czar went on to note that he doesn’t foresee ICE agents manning X-ray machines because they’re not trained to do so. However, agents can be utilized in broad security roles allowing TSA workers to focus on specialized passenger screening jobs.
Bash pressed Homan on the exact roles ICE agents would fill, but Homan noted that discussions are “a work in progress” and will be finalized by the end of the day Sunday.
“Are there specific airports that you&#8217;re thinking about starting with, and how many ICE agents are you considering deploying to do this?” Bash asked.
While discussions are ongoing, Homan said, he believes airports experiencing the longest TSA wait times should be the priority.
Bash pressed Homan on timing: “With respect, if you&#8217;re doing this in 24 hours, how well thought out could it possibly be again?”
Homan hit back: “How much of a plan does it mean to guard an exit to make sure no one comes through that exit?”
“And we were talking about security options, and these officers are well trained in security, and they&#8217;re well trained in identification, and we&#8217;re going to do what we can to help TSA move those people to the line,” the border czar added.
Bash attempted to catch Homan at the end of the segment, asking him: “Is it just going to be crowd control, or will ICE officers also be doing immigration enforcement while they are at the airport?”
“We do immigration enforcement at airports all the time,” Homan replied. “So it&#8217;s not going to change. This is about helping the men and women with TSA. They&#8217;ve lost several hundred employees; the lines are really slow because the shutdown. This is about going to helping TSA 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.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEWS: White House Border Czar Tom Homan confirms President Trump will send ICE agents into airports across the country tomorrow. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have a plan by the end of today what airports we&#8217;re starting with and where we&#8217;re sending them,&#8221; Homan tells <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaBashCNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanaBashCNN</a>. <a href="https://t.co/Ue2VNlpKw6">pic.twitter.com/Ue2VNlpKw6</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/2035707177583747455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown has been ongoing since February 14, leaving TSA agents — as well as FEMA and the Coast Guard — without pay. As a result, over 300 TSA agents have quit and lines at major airports across the country have begun to extend dramatically.
On Friday, the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/tsa-wait-times-update-airports-delays-friday-11709401">wait</a> at Atlanta&#8217;s Hartsfield-Jackson — the busiest airport in the United States — surged beyond two hours during the morning travel rush, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, saw 90-minute wait times with one checkpoint closed altogether. Shocking videos circulating on social media have shown lines stretching significantly longer in recent days as the shutdown drags on.
President Trump recently blasted Democrats on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116268396341038197">Truth Social</a> over the shutdown: “What they have done to the Department of Homeland Security, our fantastic TSA Officers, and, most importantly, the great people of our Country, is an absolute disgrace. If the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country, ICE will do the job far better than ever done before! The Fascist Democrats will never protect America, but the Republicans will.”

Tom Homan Lays Out What Americans Can Expect As ICE Moves Into Airports Monday

Dana Bash

General

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

U.S.

There was some movement in the talks to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, as Congressional Democrats sent another counteroffer to the White House, 18 days after the Trump administration sent theirs.
“Dems sent over a counteroffer late last night and White House is currently reviewing,” a White House official confirmed to The Daily Wire on background Tuesday afternoon.
The White House sent a letter to Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Susan Collins (R-ME) on Tuesday outlining their own current offer, saying that the administration “will expand the use of body-worn cameras,” “limit civil immigration enforcement activities at certain sensitive locations” with a handful of exceptions, increase oversight of detention facilities, “enforce the use of visible officer identification” and other practices for officers who are not “undercover,” and “adhere to existing law and practice of not deporting any U.S. citizen and will convey current practice of not knowingly detaining a U.S. citizen, except when the person violates a state or federal law that makes the citizen subject to arrest.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
READ: Letter sent by WH to Senate on DHS shutdown.<a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a>
Trump admin offers to 
-expand body cameras 
-limit civil enforcement at “sensitive locations” 
-increase detention facility oversight 
-“officer identification worn by officers will be clearly displayed.”
And… <a href="https://t.co/6ZUlypxco5">pic.twitter.com/6ZUlypxco5</a>
— Cameron Arcand (@cameron_arcand) <a href="https://twitter.com/cameron_arcand/status/2033992494426534366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
“This offer is reasonable, it is serious, it is the product of work that has gone on since the shutdown began,” a senior White House official told reporters during an on-background call, saying that the latest offer from Democrats sent late Monday night “does not indicate the seriousness that this moment needs.”
Exact details of the Democrat&#8217;s counteroffer are unknown, but Democrats have publicly said for weeks that they want to see an end to several federal immigration enforcement tactics, including the end of masking for agents, and the end of roving patrols. The Democrats are also demanding the use of judicial warrants to make immigration-related arrests.
The demands and the shutdown came amid backlash to Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota earlier this year, including the shooting of Alex Pretti.
While Democrats have intended for the shutdown to serve as leverage for immigration reforms, ICE and Customs and Border Protection have already been funded primarily through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year, which means that the current shutdown has largely impacted other agencies, including TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters on Tuesday that Democrats think the shutdown is a “political winner for them” and that the White House “went above and beyond &#8230; any initial offers that they put out there.”
“I mean, I just, you know, even with respect to body cameras, there was $20 million in the bill, the original bill. There was $100 million in the proposal from the White House, to include audits by the inspector general, you know, and reviews for noncompliance,” he added.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) is considered the lead Republican negotiator on the issue for the caucus, but her office told The Daily Wire last week that Democrats have largely been uncooperative in the process.
Meanwhile, travelers are facing long lines at airports across the country as a result of the funding lapse. At least 300 TSA agents have quit, and many others have called out from the job as they are obligated to work without a paycheck. Many Senate Democrats have argued that Republicans are stopping bills that would fund other aspects of the department unrelated to immigration.
“Right now, we could be paying TSA agents, funding FEMA before the next disaster hits, protecting our cyber defenses, and making sure the Coast Guard gets paid. But Republicans said no,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement last week.
“Democrats have tried—six separate times—to pass simple bills to keep these critical parts of DHS running while negotiations continue. Six times, Republicans came to the floor and blocked them. TSA officers shouldn’t miss paychecks, disaster relief shouldn’t be left hanging, and Americans’ safety shouldn’t be collateral damage in a political standoff Republicans created,” Schumer continued.
The ongoing shutdown, which kicked off in mid-February, comes at a time of transition for DHS, as Secretary Kristi Noem will be leaving her position on March 31, and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) is President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the department next. When Noem’s exit was announced amid multiple controversies, Schumer said that her removal would not suffice to bring back full funding for DHS.
“The President has fired Kristi Noem—good riddance. But let’s be crystal clear: the problems at DHS go far beyond a personnel change,” Schumer stated on March 5. “Under this administration, Americans have seen devastating violence and reckless ICE actions that have shaken communities across the country. The rot runs deep. If the President wants accountability, he must do more than fire one official — he must end the violence and rein in ICE.”

Senators Speak Following Weekly Policy Luncheons On Capitol Hill

Dems Send 11th-Hour DHS Counteroffer In Shutdown Standoff — How Americans Could Pay Price

Congress

Immigration

White House

Some Department of Homeland Security employees, including Transportation Security Administration agents, will receive only partial paychecks this week as the department&#8217;s funding lapse continues.
The standoff between the White House and congressional Democrats shows little sign of resolution. At issue are proposed restrictions on federal immigration enforcement tactics, which Democrats are seeking in exchange for restoring funding.
“Democrats have submitted a laundry list of demands in order for the government to fund the Department of Homeland Security,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) said on the Senate floor Thursday.
&#8220;260,000 people in all working without pay. It&#8217;s the Democrats that shut down the Department of Homeland Security, or at least refused to pay them. They’re still working, but they’re not getting paid because of the Democrats,” Barrasso said, adding that “Republicans have offered fair terms for a deal.”
Few details on any compromise have been made public, despite counteroffers exchanged as recently as Thursday, a White House official confirmed on background on Friday.
&#8220;Yesterday, the White House made another serious counteroffer. Democrats need to make a move to end the shutdown before more Americans are harmed by a lack of funding for critical services like disaster relief,&#8221; the official stated.
Since TSA agents are considered essential government employees, many will continue working without full pay. A similar shutdown last fall led to high absenteeism among screeners.
Democrats have pushed for major reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, including an end to masking and the use of judicial warrants. Despite the demands, ICE is already primarily funded through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that Trump signed in July.
“The American people know that ICE needs to be reined in,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said during a press conference earlier this month, accusing Republicans of refusing to compromise.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) criticized the Trump administration over a pause in Global Entry services, calling it a &#8220;bullying tactic.&#8221;
“The Trump administration is choosing to inflict pain on the public instead of adopting common sense ICE reforms,&#8221; he added in the statement.
Other DHS agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and FEMA, are also affected. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday that &#8220;significant portions&#8221; of FEMA staff were placed on administrative leave.
&#8220;The longer DHS goes without funding, the less prepared our nation will be for threats at the FIFA World Cup and America 250,&#8221; Noem posted on X. &#8220;This Democrat shutdown directly impacts DHS’s ability to keep Americans safe at these events and our national security.&#8221;
The partial shutdown began on February 14, after DHS was separated from a broader government spending package following escalating tensions over immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.

Spending Bill – Government Shutdown – Debt Ceiling

Funding Fight Turns Ugly — Who Is Getting Shorted?

homeland security

Travel

[UPDATE]: The Transportation Security Administration announced that TSA PreCheck will remain open. In a statement, TSA <a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/tsa-says-precheck-operational-previous-announcement-suspension-amid-partial-government-shutdown/18634978/">said</a>: “As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly.”
[ORIGINAL STORY]
The more than 20 million Americans who pay for expedited airport security with TSA PreCheck will be stuck with everyone else as long as the government shutdown continues.
The partial government shutdown has resulted in the temporary suspension of both the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck and Global Entry security programs – a move Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was designed to prioritize the general pool of travelers.
“Shutdowns have serious real world consequences,&#8221; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-tsa-precheck-global-entry-dc1d2ccd913a74fa2c8b91dad340a3b3">Noem said</a>, adding, &#8220;TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts.”
The two programs work in tandem to speed up security lines for departing travelers. TSA PreCheck allows registered travelers to check in for flights more quickly. Pre-approved travelers are not required to remove electronics from their bags, and security lines often move through in ten minutes or less.
For arriving travelers, the Global Entry program allows them to use an automated kiosk equipped with facial recognition software to avoid the long customs lines and complete passport verification. It is designed to eliminate the need to stand in long customs lines when returning to the United States from abroad. Travelers who pay for the Global Entry program also receive the benefits offered to TSA PreCheck members.
Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee released a statement claiming that the suspension of those programs was entirely political and accused DHS of intentionally punishing travelers.
&#8220;TRUMP’S DHS IS PUNISHING TRAVELERS.   TSA PreCheck and Global Entry reduce lines and ease the burden on DHS staff [sic]  But Kristi Noem and her &#8216;confidant&#8217; Corey Lewandowski are kneecapping the programs that make travel smoother and secure  . They’re ruining your travel on purpose,&#8221; the <a href="https://x.com/HomelandDems/status/2025420989178257425">statement</a> posted to X read.
TSA released a <a href="https://x.com/TSA/status/2022067729503858905">similar statement</a> at the start of the shutdown, blaming Democrats for leveraging the TSA in their efforts to force President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration into making changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
&#8220;The government shutdown will cease pay for all of TSA’s more than 63,000-person workforce and suspend non-essential services. Over 99% of that workforce resides in communities across the country,&#8221; Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said in a statement. &#8220;Democrats should fund the department and stop punishing our workforce and the everyday travelers they serve. A prolonged shutdown could result in significant attrition and increased callout rates of our officers including noticeable impacts at airports, including delays, longer wait times and cancelled flights.&#8221;

TSA Seizes Record Number Of Guns in 2015

Government Shutdown Hits Travelers: Global Entry Suspended, PreCheck Still Operational

ICE officers are leaving Minnesota as “Operation Metro Surge” comes to an end, Department of Homeland Security funding is set to run dry on Saturday, and an “illegal immigrant enclave” in Texas agrees to a $68 million settlement.
It’s Friday, February 13, 2026, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Homan Announces End To ‘Operation Metro Surge’</h2>
Border czar Tom Homan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-end-ices-operation-metro-surge-in-minnesota-homan-says">announced</a> the end of “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota on Thursday. 
Homan said he is satisfied with his meetings with local authorities and has sufficient cooperation to conclude the operation, which means officers and agents flown in from across the country will return to their home offices. More police chiefs and sheriffs are apparently on board with honoring ICE detainers, and ICE will be readily available and stationed near jails to pick up inmates, rather than forcing local jurisdictions to hold them longer than necessary. 
Homan added that President Donald Trump greenlit the decision. Homan’s announcement is the big step toward Trump’s softer approach toward interior immigration enforcement after the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Congress Stares Down Another Shutdown</h2>
Homeland Security <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homeland-security-shutdown-likely-as-schumer-accuses-trump-admin-of-thuggery?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Homeland+Security+Shutdown+Likely+As+Schumer+Accuses+Trump+Admin+Of+%E2%80%98Thuggery%E2%80%99">seems</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-will-shut-down-the-department-of-homeland-security-this-week-white-house-says?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Democrats+Will+Shut+Down+The+Department+Of+Homeland+Security+This+Week%2C+White+House+Says">poised</a> to experience a lapse in government funding on Saturday at midnight amid an intense debate on immigration reforms. 
A test vote in the Senate to see if there was enough support to pass another continuing resolution failed on Thursday afternoon. The House has gone home, but members could be asked to return if a deal is reached. 
Democrats have not appeared pleased with the White House&#8217;s counteroffer on immigration reform. Details on that counteroffer are still fairly unclear. Democrats want an end to masking for agents and a change in warrants. Warrants are likely to be the hottest topic among the changes, as shifting from administrative to judicial warrants for many of these arrests could make the process much more difficult.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump DOJ Settles Colony Ridge Suit</h2>
A settlement has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/colony-ridge-agrees-to-pay-68-million-in-penalties-for-illegal-immigrant-haven?author=Brent+Scher&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Colony+Ridge+Agrees+To+Pay+%2468+Million+In+Penalties+For+%E2%80%98Illegal+Immigrant+Haven%E2%80%99">reached</a> in the lawsuit against Colony Ridge, the massive Texas development that became a magnet for illegal immigrants. 
Colony Ridge was hailed by the developers as the fastest-growing development in the whole United States. But it wasn&#8217;t just a big development. The business model that The Daily Wire helped to uncover was that its marketing strategy was aimed exclusively at illegal immigrants, or at least foreign populations. 
Ultimately, the Biden administration sued the developer over loans and the marketing strategy. The Trump administration is now jointly settling this lawsuit with Texas&#8217;s Republican attorney general. The settlement reached lays the groundwork not only to put an end to the scheme but also to provide a major boost to the surrounding communities affected by it. The settlement is $68 million, not payments to anyone, but payments to fix what they created at Colony Ridge.

Border Czar Tom Homan Speaks In Minneapolis During Operation Metro Surge

Morning Brief: ICE Backs Down In Minnesota, A Shutdown Looms, & Colony Ridge Agrees To $68M Settlement

Colony Ridge

Minnesota

Morning Wire

Texas

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