What airports are ICE agents going to? What we know

Federal officers are a routine presence at international airports. But what’s unusual in the current moment is their visibility at TSA security checkpoints.

WASHINGTON — Federal immigration officers have been seen at a handful of U.S. airports on Monday after President Donald Trump said he’d deploy them to supplement the Transportation Security Administration during a government shutdown that has caused long lines at security checkpoints across the country.

On Monday morning, a handful of federal officers were seen by 11Alive and the Associated Press near busy lines at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

What airports are ICE agents going to?

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security says “hundreds” of officers will be deployed, but where they’re going isn’t being disclosed for what the government says are security reasons.

In New Orleans, WWL Louisiana reporter Mike McDaniel saw a group of ICE agents at Louis Armstrong International Airport on Monday morning. While they are not helping with passenger screening, they are assisting with crowd control and keeping lines moving.

12News crews at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport observed ICE agents walking around the airport Monday morning.

According to CNN, 13 U.S. airports would be having ICE agents at TSA checkpoints on Monday. The outlet reported those airports include:

What airports are ICE agents going to? What we know

What are ICE agents going to do at airports?

Trump said Sunday that he would order federal immigration agents to airports to assist TSA by guarding exit lanes or checking passenger IDs unless Democrats agreed to fund the DHS. Funding for the department lapsed Feb. 14, as Democrats refused to fund ICE as well as Customs and Border Protection without changes to their operations in the wake of the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Trump on Monday directed ICE officers not to wear face coverings in their work at airports. In a social media posted, Trump said he supports ICE officers wearing masks when dealing with “hardened criminals” but suggested it isn’t necessary “when helping our Country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports.”