Donald Trump has praised US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after ordering their deployment to airports nationwide to ease security line delays caused by the partial government shutdown. Speaking on Wednesday, he described the agents as “great patriots” and claimed they had reduced wait times from four hours to half an hour.
Trump also suggested deploying the National Guard if necessary. His comments came as the acting head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Ha Nguyen McNeill, told lawmakers that multiple airports are experiencing callout rates above 40%, leading to the “highest wait times in TSA history”. She warned that by Friday, TSA employees will have missed $1bn in paychecks due to the closures.
The government shutdown, now in its sixth week, stems from a deadlock over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Republicans proposed legislation to restart DHS operations except those related to deportations, but Democrats rejected it, countering with a measure that includes new guardrails on immigration enforcement. The Senate remains divided.
