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Philadelphia DA Krasner Warns He May Prosecute ICE Agents Assisting TSA at Airport During DHS Shutdown
With TSA officers unpaid and thousands calling out amid a prolonged DHS funding lapse—producing hours‑long security lines at airports nationwide and prompting the administration to deploy ICE and other DHS agents to assist at about 14 airports, including Philadelphia—District Attorney Larry Krasner held a press event at Philadelphia International Airport warning he would arrest and prosecute any ICE agents who commit crimes while performing airport security functions. Krasner framed the deployment as an inappropriate escalation of ICE’s role and said he would hold individuals accountable under local law, regardless of their federal status.
📌 Key Facts
- ICE agents have been deployed to assist TSA at about 14 U.S. airports (confirmed at sites including JFK, Hartsfield‑Jackson/Atlanta, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Chicago and New Orleans) beginning March 23, 2026; DHS declined to publicly list all locations and says the agents are aiding throughput and crowd management, not conducting immigration enforcement.
- TSA officers have been unpaid since mid‑February because of the partial DHS shutdown; national callout rates peaked around 11–12% with thousands of officers missing shifts (reported roughly 3,200–3,400) and hundreds resigning or quitting (reported roughly 366–450), while some airports experienced callouts exceeding 30–40%, producing severe staffing gaps.
- On‑the‑ground impacts included multi‑hour security waits (reports up to 6 hours and isolated reports higher), lines stretching through terminals and transit corridors, closed PreCheck/CLEAR lanes and ADA access problems, missed flights and limited access to water/AC; reporters observed ICE agents directing passengers, handing out water and standing at choke points while TSA continued ID checks and screening.
- ICE personnel assisting at airports are being paid because their salaries come from a separate multi‑year appropriation enacted in 2025, whereas most TSA employees—classified as 'essential'—must work without pay until DHS funding is restored (with back pay owed under existing law).
- The deployment has intensified partisan conflict: President Trump publicly pushed to tie DHS funding to the SAVE America Act (including voter‑ID/proof‑of‑citizenship provisions), Senate Republicans proposed funding most of DHS while carving out ICE operations, and Democrats have rejected that carve‑out and are demanding significant ICE reforms; negotiators are discussing possible statutory guardrails (e.g., body cams, ID mandates) as conditions for funding.
- DHS officials and some Republicans defended the ICE deployments as necessary to ease airport disruptions, while Democrats, local leaders, unions and some lawmakers criticized the move as inappropriate, warned about training and civil‑liberties risks, and called for separating TSA funding from broader DHS disputes.
- Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner held a news event at Philadelphia International Airport warning ICE agents that he would prosecute any crimes they committed in his jurisdiction—linking the warning to concerns raised by past police violence—and said a Philadelphia jury would not tolerate illegal conduct; the White House criticized Krasner’s remarks.
- The administration has floated additional measures — including possible National Guard deployments to airports and directives about federal agents' mask use — as airlines and carriers reported operational strain (Delta suspended special services for lawmakers; United warned of flight cuts and urged Congress to resolve the shutdown).
📊 Relevant Data
Philadelphia's foreign-born population has grown by nearly 76,000 residents since 2010, now accounting for 16% of the city's population, driving overall population gains amid net domestic out-migration.
Philadelphia depends on immigrants to grow, Economy League report says — The Inquirer
Between 2023 and 2024, over 21,300 foreign-born individuals moved into Philadelphia, while 15,300 U.S.-born residents moved out, resulting in net population growth primarily from international migration.
Immigrants Drive Philadelphia's Population Rebound — Northeast Times
Philadelphia International Airport handled over 30.1 million passengers in 2025, with international passenger traffic increasing by 7.5% to 4.1 million compared to 2024.
PHL Surpasses 30 Million Passengers for Second Consecutive Year — PHL.org
In 2025, the most common nationalities among individuals deported by ICE were from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act opened up immigration from Asia and Latin America, contributing to significant increases in the U.S. foreign-born population from 6.9 million in 1965 to about 45 million by recent estimates, influencing ongoing migration patterns.
Key findings about U.S. immigrants — Pew Research Center
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Democrats broke airport security. Now they're calling the solution dangerous
"The opinion defends the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE agents to airports during a DHS shutdown as lawful and necessary, and criticizes Democrats for politicizing TSA funding and opposing the move for partisan reasons."
📰 Source Timeline (20)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 25, 2026
4:23 PM
Soros-backed DA Krasner threatens ICE agents at Philly airport: ‘I will put you in handcuffs’
New information:
- Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner held a press event at Philadelphia International Airport directly warning ICE agents assisting TSA that he would 'put you in handcuffs' and potentially jail them if they committed crimes while performing airport security functions.
- Krasner explicitly linked his threat to the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, saying he would not allow the airport’s terrazzo floor to become 'anything like what you did in the streets of Minneapolis.'
- He framed his remarks as a message both to 'good' DHS personnel to uphold their oath and to any agents who might act illegally, warning that 'a Philly jury is not going to like what you did if it is illegal.'
- The White House’s 'Rapid Response 47' team blasted a separate Krasner video shot in front of a 'Wooder Ice' mural as 'sick and deranged,' telling him to 'tell your fellow Democrats to fund DHS.'
- Krasner criticized what he called a 'sort of an escalation' in using ICE to do TSA’s work and reiterated he would prosecute any crimes committed within Philadelphia’s jurisdiction, regardless of federal status.
3:00 PM
Democrats rip Trump’s ICE airport move as shutdown nears 40 days: ‘no reason’
New information:
- Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said, "There’s absolutely no reason for him to do that," arguing TSA funding should be separated from the broader DHS gridlock rather than using ICE agents.
- Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) called the deployment a "horrible, horrible idea" and warned that ICE’s immigration‑enforcement mission at major travel hubs would clash with airport security needs.
- Grijalva raised concerns that ICE agents would not receive the same level of security training as TSA officers and said the presence of ICE at airports could unsettle international travelers.
- The piece reiterates DHS figures that more than 366 TSA agents have left and notes TSA agents missed their first full paychecks on March 13, underscoring the shutdown’s impact on staffing.
2:59 PM
The Latest: DHS officials to give update to Congress as travel delays worsen
New information:
- The article reiterates that President Donald Trump has ordered ICE officers to provide airport security during the TSA staffing crisis, noting that the move is alarming some lawmakers.
- It links that deployment to concrete on‑the‑ground effects, including four‑hour security lines at Houston Bush Intercontinental and 40%+ TSA callout rates that ICE deployments are attempting to backfill.
- Union leader Hydrick Thomas is quoted telling reporters: 'Stop asking me about the long lines. Ask me if somebody’s gonna eat today,' underscoring the financial hardship driving absenteeism.
1:14 PM
Fate of Senate funding deal looks uncertain as DHS shutdown grinds on
New information:
- Updates the shutdown timeline to Day 40 and places the ICE‑to‑airports move in the context of a Senate GOP offer to fund 94% of DHS while carving out $5.5 billion for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
- Shows that Democrats have now rejected that carve‑out proposal and are vowing a counteroffer with "significant" ICE reforms, hardening partisan lines.
- Adds that the Senate is slated for a two‑week recess later this week, increasing pressure to fix TSA pay before lawmakers leave town.
- Clarifies how Trump’s current posture — publicly discouraging a deal and demanding focus on SAVE America — is complicating the prospects for any near‑term agreement to get TSA back on payroll.
- Introduces Lindsey Graham’s promise to craft a second reconciliation bill for ICE and elections provisions as the likely vehicle to resolve the unfunded part of DHS, even as critics question its viability.
12:35 PM
Shock, disbelief at Houston airport as 36% of TSA officers call out: "Insane"
New information:
- At Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, 36% of TSA officers called out of work, producing security lines that snaked underground, across terminals and even outside the building.
- Travelers at Houston described the situation as "insane" and unlike anything they had previously experienced, underscoring the real‑world effects of the TSA pay lapse.
- United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told CBS News his airline is cutting about 5% of flights this summer and has raised fares roughly 15–20% in the last month because Iran war–driven oil prices have spiked, and he publicly urged Congress to “get the deal done soon.”
- The article details that Senate Republicans have proposed funding most of DHS while excluding ICE’s deportation division, and Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, are refusing a deal without "strong, strong reforms" to ICE.
9:00 AM
A deal to end the DHS shutdown takes shape — but leaves both parties uneasy
New information:
- The article confirms that congressional negotiators are now coalescing around a specific framework that could restore pay and funding to TSA and most of DHS while leaving ICE enforcement and removal operations unresolved.
- It provides fresh detail on how the emerging funding structure interacts with Democrats’ insistence on policy reforms at ICE, including limitations on administrative warrants and use of masked agents, which are not addressed in the GOP proposal.
- The piece gives updated on‑record reactions from Senate leaders and key swing votes that will determine whether TSA relief and broader DHS funding can pass despite the contentious ICE carveout.
March 24, 2026
8:16 PM
Fetterman slams Democratic 'mess' as TSA workers miss paychecks during DHS shutdown
New information:
- Adds explicit on‑camera comments from Sen. John Fetterman criticizing his fellow Democrats’ role in the DHS funding standoff and vowing not to participate in future shutdowns.
- Clarifies that Democrats are seeking DHS carve‑outs to fund TSA and other components without fully funding ICE, which Republicans are rejecting, sharpening the partisan contours behind the airport deployment decision.
- Provides Fetterman’s on‑the‑ground detail that he has been speaking regularly with unpaid TSA agents and that they rely on roughly $50,000‑a‑year salaries now halted by the shutdown.
6:59 PM
Delta suspends special services for lawmakers amid government shutdown
New information:
- Delta Air Lines says it is suspending specialty services for members of Congress because the prolonged shutdown and TSA staffing issues are straining its resources.
- The article documents passenger accounts from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport describing hours‑long TSA lines with poor access to water and air conditioning.
- It underscores that lawmakers will now experience the same degraded airport conditions as regular passengers when flying Delta unless they have elite SkyMiles status.
- The piece notes travelers’ explicit calls for Congress to pass a DHS funding measure and reopen the government.
- It adds that Senate Republicans have sent Democrats a formal DHS offer and are signaling they "have" a solution, suggesting possible movement toward ending the shutdown.
6:33 PM
TSA callouts hit Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans hardest, 450 officers have quit nationwide
New information:
- DHS says more than 3,200 TSA workers called out from their Monday shifts, with the Sunday national callout rate peaking at 11.6% during the shutdown.
- DHS reports that more than 450 TSA officers have quit during the shutdown, citing inability to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent.
- DHS callout‑rate rankings show Houston’s Hobby (HOU) at 40.3%, Atlanta (ATL) at 37.4%, Houston’s Bush Intercontinental (IAH) at 36.1% and New Orleans (MSY) at 34.9%, with JFK, BWI, PIT, LGA, PHL and PHX also listed.
- Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis issues a partisan statement calling it 'Day 38 of the Democrats’ shutdown' and credits Trump’s deployment of ICE agents with easing security delays, including reported waits of up to nine hours in Atlanta.
- Article notes social‑media videos showing ICE agents in Houston handing out water to travelers in long lines and reports that lines in Atlanta appeared lighter on Tuesday than during the prior spring‑break weekend peak.
6:01 PM
Why do ICE agents get paid during the partial government shutdown, but not TSA?
New information:
- Explains that ICE agents assisting at airports are being paid because their salaries come from a separate four‑year appropriation in Trump’s 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, not the shuttered DHS operating budget.
- Details that about 95% of TSA’s 60,000 workers are classified as 'essential' and must report without pay until Congress passes DHS funding, with statutory back pay owed later under a 2019 law.
- Provides historical context that after the previous 43‑day shutdown in fall 2025, outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem handed out $10,000 bonuses to some TSA staff, highlighting how shutdowns have become recurring labor flashpoints at the agency.
- Clarifies that Trump has publicly floated deploying the National Guard to airports if ICE and TSA cannot keep up with security lines, underscoring the administration’s willingness to use uniformed forces in civilian aviation settings.
3:44 PM
WATCH LIVE: Senate meets as lawmakers consider deal to fund Homeland Security
New information:
- Provides a Senate‑focused view that Trump’s move to order ICE into airport security roles is viewed by lawmakers as 'extraordinary' and potentially escalating tensions, rather than just a stopgap.
- Connects that deployment to an emerging bipartisan Senate deal to restore TSA and broader DHS funding while specifically excluding ICE deportation operations.
- Details that negotiators are considering statutory guardrails on ICE and CBP roles plus body‑camera and ID mandates as conditions for funding.
12:33 PM
Some travelers navigate TSA wait times as long as 6 hours as ICE agents are sent to airports
New information:
- CBS video piece provides on‑the‑ground accounts from travelers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport experiencing TSA wait times of up to six hours.
- It visually documents security lines at Atlanta’s airport stretching all the way outside the terminal, reinforcing the scale of the disruption.
- Confirms that the ICE and other DHS agents deployed to 14 airports are now physically present on site as those delays play out.
12:04 PM
TSA wait times up to 6 hours as ICE, other agents deployed to 14 airports
New information:
- Reports that some travelers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport faced security wait times of up to six hours, with lines snaking through a subway corridor, baggage claim and three floors.
- Updated sick‑out figure: more than 3,400 TSA officers — nearly 12% of those scheduled — called out on Sunday, the highest level since the start of the partial shutdown.
- On‑the‑ground description that ICE and other DHS agents are being used to 'shuttle passengers through overcrowded TSA checkpoints,' with a union rep saying he has mainly seen them 'standing around' and questioning whether they are properly trained.
- Disclosure that President Trump has told federal agents not to wear masks while working at airports and has said they may soon be joined by National Guard troops if there is no deal to end the shutdown.
- Note that Senate talks to end the shutdown hit a new roadblock after Trump publicly urged Republicans to hold out for passage of an elections bill Democrats strongly oppose, even as some senators still see a path to fund parts of DHS.
9:00 AM
ICE arrives at clogged airports. But security lines, DHS shutdown persist.
New information:
- Christian Science Monitor confirms ICE personnel arrived or were expected at more than a dozen airports on Monday, including Phoenix, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, New York City and New Orleans, while DHS declines to list locations citing operational security.
- Atlanta’s Hartsfield‑Jackson International Airport urged travelers to arrive at least four hours early because of "TSA staffing constraints," and Mayor Andre Dickens detailed that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations staff will assist with line management and crowd control, not immigration enforcement.
- Acting assistant DHS secretary Lauren Bis issued a statement blaming Democrats for risking "safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel" and framing the ICE deployment as the president "taking action" to keep airports running during the shutdown.
- The article notes that expected DHS funding negotiations did not happen Monday because President Trump chose to wait for confirmation of a new DHS secretary; Markwayne Mullin was confirmed Monday night, meaning the shutdown has now stretched to roughly six weeks and could easily run into mid‑April as Congress heads into a two‑week Easter recess.
- Political‑communications expert Cayce Myers is quoted saying the move will amplify talking points on both sides—Democrats critical of ICE, and Trump arguing he had to "resort to alternative means" to keep TSA functioning—highlighting the deployment’s role as a political symbol as well as an operational patch.
March 23, 2026
9:50 PM
TSA lines at Houston airport a 3-floor nightmare amid staffing shortage
New information:
- At Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, nearly 40% of TSA employees called out on Monday, leaving only two of the airport’s five terminals staffed by TSA officers.
- Security lines in Terminal A became a three‑floor queue stretching into the airport’s underground train system, with announced TSA wait times exceeding four hours and some travelers reporting three‑plus‑hour waits in both staffed terminals.
- CBS News directly observed roughly two dozen armed ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents at Bush Intercontinental stationed along security lines, directing passengers at choke points while TSA officers continued to handle ID checks and screening.
- Houston airport announcements are warning passengers that, because of the federal shutdown, they may not clear security in time for departing flights and should contact airlines to rebook; some travelers have missed flights, with one gate agent telling a passenger that about 40 people missed a single leg the day before.
- PreCheck and CLEAR lanes at Houston were closed, forcing all passengers through standard lines with no access to food while waiting; the route is not ADA‑compliant, requiring separate handling for wheelchair users.
9:37 PM
Top Dems assert there's risk ICE agents could ‘kill’ travelers under Trump airport plan
New information:
- Confirms that ICE agents actually arrived at JFK and Hartsfield-Jackson on March 23, 2026, as part of deployments to 14 airports.
- Provides direct Democratic leadership reactions framing the ICE deployment as a public-safety threat, not just an operational stopgap.
- Adds specific rhetoric about potential shootings and killings, indicating how far opposition leaders are willing to go in characterizing the risk to travelers.
8:25 PM
DHS funding talks in limbo after Trump insists GOP pass SAVE America Act
New information:
- Advances the shutdown timeline from 36 days in earlier coverage to 38 days, indicating no resolution and worsening conditions.
- Documents Trump’s Memphis speech where he demands SAVE America be 'welded in' to DHS funding and tells Republicans to 'make this one for Jesus,' adding color and specificity to his linkage of the two issues.
- Introduces new intra‑GOP dynamics, with Thune and Kennedy both publicly mulling a path to fund TSA and other DHS components without ICE as a potential off‑ramp.
6:51 PM
Trump demands SAVE America Act be tied to DHS funding amid airport chaos
New information:
- Trump used a Memphis law‑enforcement roundtable to insist that Republicans "don’t make any deal on anything" regarding DHS funding unless it includes the SAVE America Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
- He described his goal as merging DHS funding with the SAVE America Act into "the great, big, beautiful bill" and said voter ID and proof of citizenship are parts of homeland security.
- Fox reiterates that ICE agents were deployed to airports Monday to assist TSA in managing crowds and non‑screening duties amid unpaid TSA staff and long security lines.
5:30 PM
ICE agents start assisting TSA at U.S. airports as partial government shutdown continues
New information:
- Confirms that the administration’s plan to send ICE agents to assist TSA at airports has moved from proposal to active implementation.
- Reinforces that TSA officers have been unpaid since mid‑February, leading to resignations and call‑outs that necessitated ICE support.
- Provides a mainstream network TV verification that ICE is now part of the stopgap for maintaining airport security throughput during the shutdown.