HOUSTON – Federal officials have confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are now operating inside U.S. airports to support security operations, as staffing shortages continue to impact screening lines.
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In a statement provided to KPRC 2 News reporter Gage Goulding, Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to help manage ongoing challenges tied to a partial government shutdown.
“TSA is extremely grateful to the patriotic men and women of ICE who have deployed to airports that are facing a high number of callouts because of the Democrats’ shutdown,” Bis wrote. “ICE officers are guarding entrances and exits, assisting with logistics, and providing crowd control.”
According to the statement, the additional personnel are intended to allow TSA officers to focus on their primary responsibility—screening passengers and baggage—while improving efficiency at security checkpoints.
“The more support we have available, the more efficiently TSA can focus on their highly specialized screening roles and get airport security lines moving faster,” Bis added.
The confirmation comes after days of questions surrounding ICE’s presence inside major airport terminals, including in Houston, where travelers have reported seeing agents assisting in various capacities.
Disputes Over Blame for Shutdown
The statement also places responsibility for the shutdown on Democratic members of the United States Senate and House.
Those claims contradict comments made by Democratic Congressman Christian Menefee (TX-18) at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) earlier this week.
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Menefee’s Office provided KPRC 2’s Michael Horton with the following statement:
Let’s be clear about what is actually happening here:
Republicans control the White House, the House, and the Senate. This is the Republican shutdown. No amount of spin from the Trump administration changes that fact.
Rather than just pay TSA, the President is flooding our airports with ICE agents. ICE, which has terrorized and violently abused communities across this country. That is Trump’s solution.
Americans don’t want that. They want TSA funded. They want airport lines moving. They want workers paid. President Trump would rather deploy a feared and discredited agency than write a check to the people actually doing the job.
Pay TSA. Give them their back pay. Do it now. It really is that simple.
While federal officials have clarified that ICE agents are providing operational support, they emphasized that those agents are not involved in the screening process itself.
OUR FIRST REPORT: ICE agents at Houston airports as TSA staffing shortage, causing delays
ICE agents were seen handing out water bottles to travelers waiting in long lines on Monday.
Officials have not provided additional details about the full scope of ICE’s authority inside airports, but maintain their role is limited to support functions aimed at easing congestion and improving passenger flow.
The deployment follows widespread staffing challenges affecting TSA operations nationwide, prompting concerns over long wait times and travel delays at major airports.
Travelers are still advised to arrive early, monitor their flight status, and prepare for potential delays as federal agencies continue working to stabilize operations.
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