Trump instigates airport chaos to preserve ICE funding

Throughout March, 2026, travelers in airports across the U.S. encountered security lines stretching up to eight hours, flight delays compounding into cancellations, and a heavy federal police presence. What many travelers didn't know was that this was a calculated move by the Trump administration to cause chaos in our airports to force Congress to drop any reforms to ICE.

Origins of TSA, ICE, and DHS

The Department of Homeland Security was built in the aftermath of 9/11. As covered by Liberation News, the bipartisan "War on Terror" that created the PATRIOT Act also opened the door to consolidating a wide range of state administration and security functions, including airport security screening, under the newly formed Department of Homeland Security.

The Transportation Security Administration was created after 9/11 and was initially part of the Department of Transportation before the Department of Homeland Security was created in 2004. At that point, the TSA became part of DHS. Before the TSA, airport security screenings were handled differently airport to airport, and managed by an array of private companies.

ICE was created in the same climate, replacing the work of the previous Immigration and Naturalization Services agency. The formation of these new agencies also represented an over shift toward greater militarization of airports and the border, and the criminalization of immigration.

Last Summer, Trump's Big Beautiful Bill included provisions to fund ICE even in the case where DHS was not funded. In January, Republicans and Democrats in Congress were prepared to pass a bill to fund DHS including ICE until Renee Good was shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis, triggering millions across the country to flood the streets.

Chaos used as a political prop

Under pressure from the movement, Democrats demanded that any future DHS funding include reforms to ICE including banning masks and requiring judicial warrants before entering private property. The Trump administration refused to accept these basic reforms causing Republicans to reject DHS funding bills with any reforms attached.

Starting February 14, DHS shut down due to lack of funding. This meant that TSA agents who operate airport security were no longer paid but expected to show up to work. Meanwhile, ICE agents were getting paid.

After a month of working unpaid on the weekend of March 20, TSA agent call out rates reached nearly 40% at some major airports on the weekend causing wait times over eight hours causing thousands of passengers to miss their flights. Since the shutdown began, over 500 TSA agents have quit their jobs. It takes between four to six months for TSA agents to complete their initial and on-the-job training, which means airports will experience staff shortages that extend well beyond the end of the shutdown.

Starting March 30 after 46 days unpaid, TSA agents will receive a paycheck. This comes after Trump announced an executive order to direct DHS to pay TSA agents regardless of the shutdown. This move by Trump revealed what TSA agents knew the whole time -- Trump could have decided to pay TSA agents from the beginning but chose not to. Instead active duty Coast Guard, CBP and ICE were paid while TSA agents were not and call outs rates increased causing chaos in our airports.

It was also announced that ICE will continue to operate at airports even with TSA workers returning to work. It was clear from the start of their deployment to airports that they did not assist with the long waits. Instead, aviation workers and passengers reported security missteps and harassment from ICE agents.

One part of a wider crisis

As the shutdown started to cut into airlines' revenue, airlines lobbied Congress to fund DHS and end the shutdown. Delta Air Lines made headlines when it announced they would temporarily end their special services for Congress members which gives them a dedicated phone line and allows them to reserve seats on multiple flights in a day to allow flexibility for votes.

Many consumers applauded the news, but mainstream media coverage obscures the fact that this move exerted more pressure on Democrats in Congress to forgo the proposed ICE reforms in order to fund DHS and pay TSA agents, than on the federal government to walk back any of their demands with regard to ICE funding.

This shutdown is another example of how the ruling class uses workers as political weapons for their anti-worker agenda. Trump is happy to withhold funding to tens of thousands of TSA agents across the country as long as ICE can continue its terror campaign. This comes after Trump's DHS tried to terminate TSA's collective bargaining agreement in 2025, claiming it was "incompatible" with national security. Trump has made it clear he does not care about workers or their livelihood.

This crisis goes beyond airport security and struggles around ICE. On March 22, a plane collided with a fire truck at New York City's LaGuardia airport, killing both pilots and injuring dozens of passengers. This comes after years of air traffic controllers warning about the chronic understaffing at airports around the country. These existing crises are compounded by the actions of the federal government and billionaire executives that run the airline monopolies.

Millions of people rely on aviation workers daily, and when flight attendants, air traffic controllers, pilots, workers on the tarmac, security, and in concessions are understaffed, underpaid, and overworked, that creates more and more dangerous risks for everyone. For safe and efficient transportation, we need a new system, a socialist system, that prioritizes the safety and dignity of all working class people over corporate profits and racist fearmongering.

Feature image: Courtesy of Liberation Photo