Cruz Calls for Separation of Immigration Funding as Airport Delays Escalate
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is advocating for a significant restructuring of federal immigration enforcement funding, proposing to detach it from the broader Homeland Security budget. This move comes as airport chaos intensifies across the United States, with travelers enduring hours-long security delays and staffing shortages worsening.
Breaking the Washington Standoff
Cruz's dramatic plan aims to break a bitter political impasse in Washington and is gaining traction among Republican colleagues. The proposal would carve out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), passing it separately from the rest of the Department of Homeland Security appropriations.
'What I've suggested is that the Democrats have gotten so extreme and unreasonable that I don't know that they will ever be willing to fund Department of Homeland Security,' Cruz told The Hill on Saturday. He argued that this separation is necessary because broader funding deals may be impossible given current political divisions.
Procedural Maneuver to Bypass Opposition
The senator suggested Republicans could use reconciliation—a procedural maneuver requiring only a simple majority of 50 votes—to fund ICE and CBP independently. 'If that's where the Democrats are, I've suggested let's fund ICE and CBP through reconciliation,' Cruz explained. 'That Republicans can do with just 50 votes, we can do that relatively quickly and the Democrat lunacy on open borders can be put to an end.'
Airport Chaos Worsens During Shutdown
The high-stakes proposal emerges as the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continues, with consequences most visible at airports nationwide. Security lines have lengthened into multi-hour ordeals, with some travelers missing flights entirely due to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staffing shortages.
'Millions of Americans right now are facing two-, three-, four-hour waits at airports,' Cruz emphasized. 'They're missing their planes for spring break because the Democrats refuse to pay TSA.'
The strain is particularly evident at major hubs like Houston's airports, where wait times have exceeded three hours as growing numbers of TSA workers call out sick during the funding lapse. Cruz noted that TSA agents have missed two consecutive paychecks, with over 300 resigning to find other employment.
Trump Threatens ICE Deployment to Airports
The political deadlock has triggered an extraordinary escalation from former President Donald Trump, who warned he is prepared to deploy ICE agents directly into airports if Congress fails to act. 'ICE is ready to go on Monday,' Trump wrote on social media. 'I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, 'GET READY.' NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!'
This plan would mark a dramatic expansion of immigration enforcement into airport security, with Trump stating agents would arrest 'all Illegal Immigrants,' specifically referencing individuals from Somalia in his posts.
Republican Support Grows for Split Funding Approach
As Republicans rally around more aggressive tactics, the strategy inside the Senate is evolving. Senator Thom Tillis confirmed Cruz had approached him about splitting the funding bill and expressed openness to the idea. 'Anything that we have to do, even incrementally, to get some of this impasse done, I'd be open to,' Tillis said, adding that lawmakers should not leave Washington until a resolution is reached.
Senator John Kennedy outlined a similar approach in a televised interview, suggesting Republicans fund the bulk of Homeland Security immediately and then pass ICE funding separately through reconciliation. 'Let's open up everything but ICE, OK? Let's open it up … but I can tell you what's going to happen next,' Kennedy said on C-SPAN. 'The Republicans are going to put a reconciliation bill on the floor that requires Republican votes to fund ICE, and the Democrats don't have the vote to stop us.'
Democratic Counterproposals and Blocked Efforts
Democrats have taken a sharply different approach, pushing to fund key agencies like TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard separately while demanding sweeping reforms to immigration enforcement policies. Earlier this month, Democratic Senator Patty Murray sought unanimous consent to pass a targeted funding measure excluding ICE and CBP, but Republicans blocked the effort, accusing Democrats of playing 'political games.'
Mounting Pressure for Resolution
With absentee rates rising among TSA workers and airport disruptions worsening daily, pressure is mounting on both sides to find a way out of the impasse. Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged the growing urgency, warning that the situation could deteriorate rapidly without a breakthrough. 'If that group that's meeting can't come up with a solution really quickly, things are going to get worse and worse,' Thune cautioned.
The standoff highlights deep divisions over immigration policy and government funding, with Cruz's proposal representing a potential pathway to address immediate airport chaos while maintaining immigration enforcement capabilities through separate legislative action.
