The move places Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel – already under intense scrutiny after fatal shootings linked to immigration operations – in highly visible roles at crowded transport hubs across the country.

Officials say the agents are being sent to at least 14 airports, including in New York, Chicago and Atlanta, to assist overstretched Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff, many of whom have gone weeks without full pay.

The agents will not conduct passenger screening but are expected to handle support roles such as monitoring exits and managing logistics, allowing TSA officers to focus on security checks.

The deployment comes as airports struggle with long delays during a busy travel period for the spring break, with some passengers reporting waits of several hours.

Unscheduled absences among TSA staff have surged to their highest levels since the beginning of the shutdown, which has halted the operations of the TSA parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – raising concerns about safety and system strain.

Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's point man on border security, told CNN the move was a temporary measure to "help TSA move those lines along," while Trump framed it as part of a broader effort to maintain security during the funding standoff.

The president told reporters he had not ruled out bolstering the deployment with National Guard troops.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where fliers have experienced some of the longest waits, travelers voiced hopes that ICE agents would be able to bring some order to the disruption.

Shutdown talks deadlocked

"I came yesterday for a 5:15 p.m. flight. I got here at 2:30 p.m. and by the time I made it through TSA and got to my gate my plane departed and I missed my flight," nurse Angeline Peart, 27, told AFP. "I had to be rebooked for today."

"We're hopeful to see if they're able to help out and see if we can get on our plane to go home today," added Suez Khan, a 28-year-old artist.

But the deployment has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, rights activists and some Republicans, who warn it risks escalating tensions in already stressed environments.

The controversy reflects broader unease over the administration's immigration crackdown, which has sparked protests and legal challenges in several states.

In Minnesota earlier this year, two US citizens – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – were killed in separate encounters with federal immigration officers, incidents that fueled nationwide outrage and scrutiny of enforcement tactics.

Good, a mother of three, was shot by an ICE agent during an operation, while Pretti, an intensive care nurse, was later killed by officers from Customs and Border Protection during a related deployment.

Against that backdrop, the airport deployment has taken on outsized significance, highlighting the increasingly blurred lines between immigration enforcement and domestic security roles.

"The last thing that the American people need is for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances kill them," House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN.

Meanwhile, negotiations in Washington remain deadlocked.

Democrats have pushed to reopen most of DHS while demanding new limits on immigration enforcement, while Republicans have resisted those conditions.

Trump has further complicated talks by insisting he will not sign any funding deal unless Congress also passes the SAVE America Act, a contentious bill to overhaul how citizens register to vote in US elections.

With no breakthrough in sight and Congress nearing a recess, officials warn the disruption could deepen – leaving airports, and the wider system, under growing strain.

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