As wait times soar, Trump mulls deploying National Guard to airports
Trump has already deployed federal immigration officers to airports to assist TSA employees working without pay amid a partial government shutdown.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s considering deploying the National Guard to airports to ease congestion amid a partial government shutdown.
Trump deployed federal immigration officers to airports across the country this week to assist with crowd control and bring down excessive wait times.
“We’re going to send in the National Guard, if we need to,” Trump said on March 25, during a fundraiser for congressional Republicans as Congress barreled toward a planned two-week recess without a deal to resolve the shutdown at hand.
Transportation Security Administration workers have not received a full paycheck since the Department of Homeland Security shut down on Feb. 14. The federal government says absences have increased, with workers calling out or quitting, as the congressional fight drags on.
This week the Trump administration sent hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to more than a dozen airports in an effort to hasten security lines and end the dispute in Washington, where Democrats have demanded immigration enforcement reforms such as the use of body cams to restart DHS funding.
ICE officers are not able to conduct passenger and baggage screenings, which legally require specialized training. TSA says they are helping to guard exit lanes and control lines.
“They’re doing such an unbelievable job at the airports,” Trump said. In a Truth Social post earlier on March 25, the president thanked the “great ICE Patriots for helping” and wrote that he “may call up the National Guard for more help.”
The president said that the lines had decreased at airports as a result. Trump told House Republicans he could supplement the effort with the National Guard because it has a larger pool of reservists than ICE has personnel.