President Donald Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into airports nationwide on Monday, March 23, as Transportation Security Administration officers − still unpaid during a partial shutdown − remain on the front lines of airport security.
Photos and videos of ICE agents at airports quickly spread across social media, prompting criticism that immigration officers are continuing to receive pay while TSA officers have gone without a full paycheck since late February.
TSA employees have already missed one paycheck since the shutdown began Feb. 14 and are set to miss another on March 27. ICE agents, by contrast, continue to receive regular pay because they are classified as essential personnel within the Department of Homeland Security.
Why is ICE funded while TSA is not?
Republican lawmakers last year passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which funds immigration enforcement through 2029. The legislation provides $170 billion for ICE, more than double DHS’s annual discretionary budget, allowing the agency to continue paying its officers during the shutdown.
The pay disparity has contributed to staffing challenges as more than 400 TSA officers have resigned, and thousands have called out from work because they cannot afford basic expenses such as gas, childcare, food or rent, DHS said in an emailed statement.
The agency said the ongoing ICE presence will
Islanders’ first-rounder Victor Eklund coming stateside
