Palm Springs International Airport was operating normally Monday — without any federal immigration agents stationed at the facility — amid a partial government shutdown that has sidelined many Transportation Security Administration officers and prompted a deployment of ICE agents to select U.S. airports.
“Travel is running smoothly at Palm Springs International Airport, with no ICE personnel deployed and security lines moving quickly,” a PSP representative said in a statement Monday.
“We are especially grateful to our TSA officers, who continue to show up every day with professionalism and dedication despite the challenges of the federal government shutdown. Because of their commitment to our travelers and our community, security wait times remain typical, generally between 0 and 15 minutes. We will continue monitoring the situation closely and staying in contact with our federal partners. PSP will keep our community informed if anything changes, but for now, travelers can continue to expect the smooth, easy experience they rely on when flying PSP.”
U.S. border czar Tom Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday the deployment of ICE agents to airports was about “helping TSA do their mission and get the American public through that airport as quick as they can while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols.”
“We’re simply there to help TSA do their job in areas that don’t need their specialized expertise, such as screening through the X-ray machine,” he said. “Not trained in that? We won’t do that. But there are roles we can play to release TSA officers from the non-significant roles, such as guarding an exit so they can get back to the scanning machines and move people quicker.”
Various media outlets reported Monday morning that ICE agents were being deployed to 14 airports across the nation — none of them in California.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump said he would order ICE agents to assist with airport security if Congress did not immediately reach an agreement to fund TSA officers.
In a social media post, Trump said ICE agents could also be tasked with making immigration arrests at airports.
“If the radical left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our country, in particular, our airports, be FREE and SAFE again, I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE agents to the airports where they will do security like no one has ever seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The proposal comes as a partial government shutdown has left roughly 50,000 TSA employees working without pay, contributing to increased absenteeism and staffing shortages at airports nationwide.
Administration officials said about 10% of TSA workers failed to report for duty on some recent days, compared to typical rates of under 2%.