this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2026
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Donald Trump said Saturday he will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to US airports on Monday if an agreement isn’t reached to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid a partial government shutdown.

It is unclear what function the ICE agents would perform since they’re not trained in airport security screening. TSA screeners have a several months-long training period before they’re on the job, though airline employees and private security companies have partnered on line controlling and guarding exit doors.

The agents could potentially help in more limited roles — like managing lines, directing passengers or helping move people through the checkpoint process — to free up trained TSA officers for critical security functions.

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[–] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

They are already in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago standing around, doing nothing and wasting taxpayer dollars.

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 115 points 1 week ago (2 children)

What a fucking idiot. I'm sure he doesn't realize that the federal government doesn't own or operate civilian transport hubs. More than half the states who fucking hate ICE will not allow this.

Then he's going to try and pull the lever of removing TSA agents from airports, but guess what? PEOPLE WOULD LOVE THAT! The TSA bullshit airport has only been a thing since 2002. So many people don't remember being able to just get in a flight, or walk/depart/meet people at the gate when they depart/arrive.

If anything bad happens as a circumstance of him doing that, then that's on him and all the dipshits who enable this fucker.

[–] AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social 48 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Then he’s going to try and pull the lever of removing TSA agents from airports

Yes please and thank you!

[–] RestrictedAccount@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Don’t threaten me with a good time

[–] deacon@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Any airport in the US is effectively federal property because the TSA does security in all airports, the FAA controls most surface movement and all takeoffs and landings, and in International airports, the CBP controls the port of entry.

And I hate to break it to you but removing the TSA doesn’t mean we revert back to pre 9/11 days. Security at airports is still governed by the Aircraft Operator Standard Security Program which defines the screening requirements, but not necessarily who must complete them.

Trump will be under a lot of pressure from capital not to do this, I suspect, because it would absolutely crater tourism.

Assuming he TACOs, and dems hold strong (sob), I would be looking for one of two scenarios.

Most likely, airports revert to post 9/11-pre TSA setup. Same basic experience, and probably even the same people, but a different uniform. Remember Huntleigh? Argenbright? You may still see these logos on the arms of wheelchair pushers or janitorial staff, but for a long, long time, they operated the checkpoints too. Between maybe the late 80s and up until 9/11, there was still screening but it was much more lax. Basic screening was likely introduced after Pan Am flight 103, and while there were metal detectors and x-rays, anyone could go through, which is what made all the sappy last minute airport reunion scenes possible.

After 9/11, the AOSSP was updated again with much more stringent security requirements, but at first the screening was still done by those vendors - provided at least one specially trained airline representative Ground Security Coordinator was present at the checkpoint. I was a GSC once upon a time, and I don’t think the TSA took over all of the checkpoints until maybe 2005. Though I’m not still current on the AOSSP, I’m fairly certain all of the policy that would enable a complete reversion back to this model is still in place. Airlines at each airport would share the cost of the contract.

Back then, a bunch of Huntleigh Employees suddenly became TSA employees. We might see a bunch of TSA employees become Huntleigh employees.

Or potentially, Trump will split the difference and just make the TSA screeners ICE employees. That’s probably a LITTLE less likely to spook travelers, so it could be a face saving compromise, but more likely he will do something like the first option and spin it as cutting government bloat and a partnership with job creating business leaders.

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[–] dhork@lemmy.world 88 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Isn't he basically admitting that ICE is his private paramilitary organization?

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 48 points 1 week ago

We passed that point about a year ago afair..

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 65 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I hate when the media sane-washes the random tweets of this dumb ass mother fucker. This article goes to great length to talk about what roles ICE could play with limited training, when Trump had 100% not put an ounce of thought into this. They should just say "Trump proposes putting ICE into the airports, which makes no fucking sense." But instead they try to invent ways that maybe it could possibly work?

[–] ChadGPT2@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

CNN is owned by right wing corpos now. It’s compromised and has been for a while.

[–] altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago

Why, it makes. Bag everyone going in and out of the country as illegals. Grind US's face into the ground, manufacture a crisis to make politicians cave in and fund DHS. Then, 50/50, take agents back or continue to deploy them into airports because no one can prevent it. Does it sound unlikely in March, 2026?

[–] FrChazzz@lemmus.org 51 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Honestly? If it means more ICE off the streets harassing decent people and stuck doing boring-ass airport security, then let's go. There are only so many ICE guys to go around. It's not the infinite respawn that he seems to think it is.

[–] how_we_burned@lemmy.zip 27 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I think you've forgotten how xenophobic these assholes are.

They're gonna be stopping every second person at the scanners pulling their guns and hurling them off to some concentration camp

[–] stephen01king@piefed.zip 18 points 1 week ago

Well, maybe people would actually realise how much the US has turned into a fascist nation and stop going there. And maybe the Americans who are wealthy enough to travel overseas can no longer overlook how bad their country had become if they have to deal with ICE, instead.

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[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 46 points 1 week ago (2 children)

is this an open admission that ice is just a punishment force of some kind?

[–] Angrydeuce@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Always has been...

[–] BK85@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

Brownshirts

[–] lettruthout@lemmy.world 36 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Ooh…. ICE at the airport? Sounds like a good opportunity to let them know our opinion of them.

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[–] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago (3 children)

"We don't have enough line cooks to keep the restaurant open, so I'm sending in nurses to help them out"

Do you hear how dumb this sounds out loud Donny?

[–] ThomasWilliams@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

more like "we've run out of nurses, so we'll send in abbatoir workers to do the job"

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'd have gone with "mouth-breathing stormtroopers" instead of "nurses", but yeah.

Nurses are extremely important

[–] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world 0 points 6 days ago (2 children)

it was an analogy, geez.

"We don't have enough IT guys to fix these servers, send in the accountants." Is that better?

[–] Angrydeuce@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

As if I didn't already spend hours of my life trying to explain to accountants why they cant just continue using 10 year old hosts for the core production infrastructure lol

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[–] AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social 28 points 1 week ago

Oh goodie, making tourism and its resulting spending even LESS likely! #winning!!!!!!!!!

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago

Airport violence will increase with the masked ICE and fake ICE goons.

[–] knobbysideup@sh.itjust.works 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Just disband TSA and DHS and go back to airports doing their own security. TSA has never been anything but security theater pork barrel politics.

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[–] Wataba@sh.itjust.works 25 points 1 week ago

Don't fucking go to fascist America.

Holy fucking shit how stupid are non-Americans to keep doing this?

[–] leadore@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Great, do it! That should go over really really well. 🤣 And keep them from going out and doing their gestapo duties while they're at it.

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 23 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Do it, it will be entertaining. I can't wait to see ICE Apes stalking through airports, harshing everyone's vacation buzz.

Make sure to tell them to Go Fuck Yourselves as you pass them. Or ask if they fuck each other, since no woman would get near them. Or tell them that their children HATE them. That'll hurt.

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Seriously.

There's still tourists who come to America thinking it's not a big deal need to get a wake up call that this is a shithole country.

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[–] quick_snail@feddit.nl 7 points 1 week ago (6 children)

You know they will just beat you, rape you, and maybe throw you in a cage for a year.

Most people won't do that, because they don't want to miss their flight, booked hotel, and loose their job

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Oh boy, ICE agents in customer service roles? That should be fun.

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] grue@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If TSA can't work because there's no funding, how the fuck would using ICE instead be any different?

It is fucked up and blatantly illegal that, despite the fact that the entire point of this exercise is to starve ICE of cash, they're somehow still getting paid.

[–] HermitBee@feddit.uk 26 points 1 week ago (1 children)

ICE got paid a 4 year budget upfront, which they are allowed to roll over. So they're not getting paid, they just have a reserve several times the size of their annual budget.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago

Yep, and it's bullshit.

(In fact, I'd argue that since ICE is a de-facto army, it's literally unconstitutional).

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

The Art of How to Fuck Up Biden's Economy, Which Was the Envy of the World

-- John Barron

[–] NOT_RICK_SANCHEZ@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

This is not the threat this idiot may think it is.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That ought to blow over well. Nothing could possibly go wrong with jackboot thugs being asked to manage lines and direct passengers.

Remember folks, be sure to wear your "Fuck ICE" and "Abolish ICE" t-shirts to the airports this week. Be loud and be proud.

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[–] BigMacHole@thelemmy.club 14 points 1 week ago

This is TERRIBLE! Transportation CEOS gave Trump MILLIONS and he's RUINING their Businesses!

-Republicans but UNIRONICALLY!

[–] Toothy@lemmus.org 12 points 1 week ago

Just warming us up with an election pre-game

[–] Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Call his bluff

[–] Prior_Industry@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

Making even more "normies" aware of the police state Trump's attempting to implement? Interesting gambit.

[–] lemmylump@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago
[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 week ago

ok, so now you go through the metal detector at gun point? I guess that will make me look harder for change in my pockets before.

I don't think this will significantly speed up anything. Surely they need a clean up delay each time they waste a passenger.

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