HOUSTON – If you’re headed to an airport this week, you may be surprised to see U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers there assisting with airport security.
ICE officers were spotted at several U.S. airports Monday, including here in Houston, to assist Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers who entered another work week without pay due to a partial government shutdown.
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The partial government shutdown, which began on Feb. 13, 2026, was due to a political stalemate over the country’s immigration policy. It left the Department of Homeland Security only partially funded.
As of Sunday, 11.76% of TSA workers have called out, the highest since the shutdown, according to DHS’ Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. This accounts for around 3,450 TSA workers.
“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.” said Bis. “This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions.”
It’s the second time in six months, TSA has worked without pay. And without a steady paycheck, more than 400 TSA workers have quit, DHS reports.
Where are TSA workers are calling out?
As of March 22, 2026, here are the call out rates at several major airports:
- Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport 38.1%
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York) 37.4%
- Pittsburgh International Airport 24.7%
- Philadelphia International Airport 24.2%
- LaGuardia Airport (New York) 21.7%
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston) 39.1%
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport 20.3%
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport 42.3%
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport 41.5%
Where will ICE agents be?
ICE agents will be at the following U.S. airports, according to CNN and national reports:
- Chicago-O’Hare International Airport
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)
- LaGuardia Airport (New York)
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- Pittsburgh International Airport
- Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers, Florida)
What will ICE agents help with at the airports?
At least 50 ICE personnel will help TSA per shift, according to a senior White House official who spoke to NBC News.
Officials say the ICE agents may help with:
- Crowd control
- Monitoring exit lanes
- Checking IDs before screening
- Other non-screening duties
An ICE official said ICE officers are not trainer to use magnetometers or X-ray machines that TSA agents operate.
How long with ICE stay at airports?
Right now, we don’t know how long ICE could stay at airports. White House border czar Tom Homan said Monday that Americans should prepare to see ICE at other airports as well.
When could DHS be fully funded?
There’s no end in sight as of Monday.
According to CNN, President Donald Trump rejected an offer to end the partial shutdown Sunday night. The potential deal would have funded every part of DHS except for ICE enforcement operations.
But Trump told Republicans to “only settle: if they can pass the SAVE America Act.