Trump Threatens to Deploy ICE Agents to Airport Security and Target Somali Immigrants Amid DHS Shutdown
President Trump threatened on social media to order ICE agents to take over airport security "on Monday" unless Democrats fund DHS, saying he has told ICE to "GET READY" and that the move would include arrests of "all illegal immigrants" with a heavy emphasis on those from Somalia. The threat comes amid a fifth week of a DHS funding shutdown that has produced widespread TSA staffing shortages, long airport lines and checkpoint closures, even as bipartisan talks and a proposed TSA‑only funding effort continue and Elon Musk offered to privately pay TSA salaries — though how either private funding or ICE substitution would work in practice is unclear.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- Elon Musk posted on X early Saturday offering to personally pay TSA salaries during the DHS funding impasse; Axios estimated covering those salaries could cost more than $40 million per week and NPR noted U.S. law generally bars government employees from receiving outside compensation, leaving the proposal’s legality and practicality unclear.
- Roughly five hours after Musk’s post, former President Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to deploy ICE officers to airports on Monday unless Democrats agree to fund DHS or allow what he called 'Just and Proper Security,' and saying he had told ICE to 'GET READY.'
- Trump said ICE would perform airport security 'far better than ever done before,' vowed the 'immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants' with 'heavy emphasis' on immigrants from Somalia, and repeated claims about Somali immigrants’ impact in Minnesota; no concrete implementation plan has been announced.
- Airports are experiencing severe operational strain: TSA wait times surged (about 90 minutes in Atlanta early Saturday; reports of up to two hours at major hubs in Houston and Atlanta and a three‑hour early‑arrival advisory in New Orleans), and staffing shortages have forced checkpoint closures at some airports (including three checkpoints closed in Philadelphia).
- DHS/TSA figures show hundreds of officers have quit since the partial shutdown began (NPR reported more than 300; PBS/AP reported at least 376), and call‑out rates have spiked in key cities (more than half in Houston; nearly a third in Atlanta and New Orleans).
- TSA and transportation officials warned the disruption could worsen: acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl said TSA 'may have to shut down airports,' and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned smaller airports might have to temporarily close if funding isn’t restored.
- On Capitol Hill, Democrats shifted tactics—Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer pledged a TSA‑only funding bill (which was blocked by Senate Republicans in a rare weekend session)—even as bipartisan talks resumed involving White House officials (including border czar Tom Homan); Senate leaders described closed‑door negotiations as 'productive' but there were still few signs of decisive movement.
- The U.K. Foreign Office warned British travelers to expect 'longer than usual queues' at some U.S. airports because of shutdown‑linked delays.
đź“Š Relevant Data
In 2023, 29.5% of transportation security screeners (TSA workforce) were Black, compared to approximately 13.6% of the U.S. population being Black, indicating overrepresentation in this federal role.
Transportation security screeners — Data USA
In 2023, 43.3% of transportation security screeners were White, compared to about 59% of the U.S. population being non-Hispanic White, showing underrepresentation.
Transportation security screeners — Data USA
Around 1,110 Transportation Security Officers separated from TSA in October and November 2025, representing a more than 25% increase in separations compared to the same period in 2024, indicating rising attrition prior to the full shutdown.
Oversight Hearing – Potential DHS Shutdown Impacts — Transportation Security Administration
Democrats' demands for DHS funding reforms include expanded use of body cameras for immigration enforcement and limiting civil immigration enforcement activities at sensitive locations like schools and hospitals.
House Democrats try to force vote to fund DHS, but not ICE and CBP — CBS News
In 2024, there were an estimated 259,000 residents of Somali descent in the United States, with most having arrived as refugees under the Refugee Act of 1980 following the Somali Civil War, and the majority now being U.S. citizens.
Most Somali people in America and Minnesota are citizens — Minnesota Reformer
đź“° Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 21, 2026
10:57 PM
Trump says he will order federal immigration officers to help with airport security unless Democrats end shutdown
New information:
- Trump’s new social‑media posts from Florida say he will order ICE officers into airport security 'on Monday' unless Democrats agree to fund DHS, and that he has already told ICE to 'GET READY.'
- He explicitly promises that ICE at airports would arrest 'all Illegal Immigrants' and says they will focus on arresting immigrants from Somalia who are in the U.S. illegally, repeating his claim that Somalis 'totally destroyed' Minnesota.
- The article ties Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS to demands for reforms after a Minnesota immigration crackdown that led to the fatal shootings of two protesters, including calls for better identification for federal officers, a new code of conduct and greater use of judicial warrants.
- PBS/AP updates TSA operational fallout: at least 376 TSA workers have quit since the Feb. 14 partial shutdown began, call‑out rates are climbing, and Senate Democrats’ attempt to pass a TSA‑only funding bill was blocked Saturday.
- The piece notes that bipartisan Senate talks with White House officials have restarted and that Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer both describe closed‑door negotiations as 'productive,' signaling some movement even as the threat hangs.
9:40 PM
Airport security lines are long. Here's what to know if you're flying
New information:
- Reports specific current wait times: up to two hours at major hubs in Houston and Atlanta on Friday, and a three-hour early-arrival advisory from New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport.
- Details operational impacts, including Philadelphia International Airport closing three security checkpoints entirely this week because of short staffing.
- Provides DHS figures that more than 300 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began and that more than half of TSA staff in Houston and nearly a third in Atlanta and New Orleans called out sick last week.
- Quotes Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning that if a deal is not reached, current disruption will look like 'child's play' and that smaller airports may have to temporarily close.
- Adds that U.K. Foreign Office officials are warning their citizens of 'longer than usual queues' at some U.S. airports due to the shutdown-linked delays.
- Introduces Elon Musk’s offer on X to personally pay TSA salaries during the funding impasse, and notes that U.S. law generally bars government employees from receiving outside compensation for their work.
8:32 PM
Trump threatens to deploy ICE to run airport security during shutdown
New information:
- Clarifies Trump’s conditional framing that ICE will take over airport security 'if the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports,' tying the move explicitly to passage of the GOP funding bill.
- Quotes Trump saying ICE will perform security 'far better than ever done before' and that he looks forward to 'moving ICE in on Monday' and has already told them to 'GET READY.'
- Adds Trump’s statement that ICE at airports would include 'the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia,' sharpening the targeting language.
- Provides additional shutdown context: this comes after Senate Republicans blocked Schumer’s TSA‑only funding attempt and after a DHS funding bill failed in the Senate for the fifth time.
- Includes warning from acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl to CBS that TSA 'may have to shut down airports' if funding doesn’t resume, underscoring operational risk.
6:55 PM
Trump Says He Will Send ICE Agents to Airports on Monday
New information:
- Trump followed his initial threat with a second post hours later saying he has 'decided to go ahead with the move' and has told ICE to 'GET READY.'
- He explicitly says he 'look[s] forward to moving ICE in on Monday,' providing a concrete date for the planned deployment.
- The article ties these posts directly to ongoing bipartisan talks on Capitol Hill involving White House border czar Tom Homan, noting those negotiations continued Friday night and into Saturday as the shutdown enters its fifth week.
5:28 PM
For airline passengers, the shutdown answer is simple: Pay TSA officers
New information:
- On March 21 at Atlanta’s airport, passengers interviewed by AP/ABC overwhelmingly say TSA officers need to be paid and that funding them should be Congress’s top priority, with several explicitly blaming Democrats for prolonging the shutdown.
- The article documents Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s operational strain in concrete terms: TSA wait times surged to about 90 minutes early Saturday before dropping later in the morning, and staffing shortages have at times forced checkpoint closures.
- It adds contextual detail to Trump’s ICE‑at‑airports threat by noting he singled out immigrants from Somalia as a focus for potential arrests, though no concrete implementation plan has been announced.
- Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is quoted signaling a tactical shift by promising to offer a TSA‑only funding bill on Saturday, even as it is expected to fail in a rare weekend session.
4:37 PM
Musk offers to pay TSA salaries, as Trump floats ICE at airports
New information:
- Axios timestamps that Musk’s X post offering to pay TSA personnel salaries came early Saturday, followed roughly five hours later by Trump’s Truth Social post threatening to deploy ICE agents to airports if Democrats did not agree to a funding deal.
- It quantifies Musk’s potential commitment by tying it to TSA headcount, estimating that covering salaries could cost more than $40 million per week.
- Axios highlights that it is unclear what prompted Musk’s offer a month into the shutdown and questions how either proposal—private funding of federal salaries or ICE substitution for TSA—would work in practice.
- The article reiterates that Democrats have recently shifted to new procedural tactics in Congress to end the DHS shutdown but that there are still 'few signs of movement.'