ADRIAN MA, HOST:
Starting tomorrow, President Trump says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be deployed to U.S. airports. The move comes as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown enters week six, and many fliers face longer lines due to security staff shortages.
Now, if ICE agents do show up at airports, it's, so far, unclear what exactly they'll be doing. To help us make sense of this, we're joined by NPR's Luke Garrett with the latest. Thanks for being here, Luke.
LUKE GARRETT, BYLINE: You bet, Adrian.
MA: And just tell us what we know so far.
GARRETT: So on Sunday morning, Trump posted on social media that ICE agents will go to U.S. airports to help Transportation Security Administration workers, TSA workers. Trump then blamed Democrats for the shutdown, which the White House says caused TSA staffing shortages and those long lines. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries threw blame back at Trump, criticizing this planned ICE deployment at airports. Here's Jeffries on CNN.
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HAKEEM JEFFRIES: The last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country.
GARRETT: Trump said White House border czar Tom Homan is in charge of the ICE deployment to these airports. And it's worth noting here, Adrian, you know, both TSA and ICE are part of DHS, but the two agencies have very different missions and training.
MA: Right. So how exactly would this work? Like, what would ICE agents actually be doing at airports?
GARRETT: Homan said, you know, he was still working with TSA and ICE to finalize a deployment plan. This morning, Homan called the operation a, quote, "work in progress," but he did give some parameters on the tasks ICE will and won't be doing. Homan said he expects ICE agents to guard exits and entry points at the nation's busiest airports. And he told CNN, ICE agents will leave the specialized security work to TSA.
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TOM HOMAN: I don't see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine because they're not trained in that. But there are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs - help move those lines.
GARRETT: But, Adrian, moments after Homan said this, the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, told ABC News, ICE could work TSA security lines.
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SEAN DUFFY: They know how to pat people down. They know how to run the X-ray machines because they are, again, under Homeland Security.
GARRETT: This mixed messaging from the White House is raising a lot of questions. We asked the White House and DHS for details on, you know, how many immigration agents will be deployed and which airports they'll be going to. DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis told NPR hundreds of ICE officers will be deployed to, quote, "adversely impacted airports."
MA: OK. So not a lot of clarity from the White House. But just to back up a bit. Can you explain why Trump is turning to ICE, which enforces immigration law, to help staff airports?
GARRETT: It's a good question. One reason is money. Last summer, the GOP-controlled Congress passed billions in spending for ICE, and that money is allowing ICE to keep the lights on and pay its agents. Meanwhile, the rest of DHS, which includes TSA, can't pay their workers during this partial shutdown. Trump is basically shifting personnel resources within DHS to solve this immediate problem of airport staff shortages and delays. But the president of the union that covers TSA workers really blasted this deployment plan, saying, you know, ICE agents are untrained and will make airport security worse.
MA: Which I guess brings us to the politics of the shutdown. Is Congress any closer to striking a deal on DHS funding?
GARRETT: So there are few signs of an imminent deal on DHS funding. This partial shutdown, you know, as you said, is now over a month old, and it started after federal immigration agents, you know, killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota. Since then, Democrats have demanded changes to ICE policy, including a ban on mask wearing and a requirement for judicial warrants. Homan said today, you know, he met with some lawmakers on Capitol Hill about this, you know, very question last week, but he said the two sides are still just too far apart.
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HOMAN: More conversations need to be had because we certainly can't surrender ICE's authorities and their congressionally mandated job.
GARRETT: Meanwhile, Minority House Leader Jeffries, you know, said his party won't back down from their demands on ICE, so the stalemate continues.
MA: In the 12 seconds we have left, what are you looking for next?
GARRETT: So the biggest date to watch out for is next Thursday. That's when the next TSA paychecks are due, and that's when, you know, more TSA officers could quit or leave their jobs due to no pay.
MA: That's NPR's Luke Garrett. Thanks, Luke.
GARRETT: Thank you.
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