Remove ICE Agents from Airports Now!

Over the weekend, Donald Trump took to social media to announce that ICE would be deployed to airports to arrest undocumented immigrants, with particular attention to travelers from Somalia. This announcement came amid the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding standoff, leaving TSA workers in limbo while ICE agents receive new enforcement powers.

ICE has a long, documented history of racial profiling and abusive enforcement practices. Civil liberties advocates warn that putting ICE into airports will turn routine travel into a site of surveillance and fear — especially for Black, Brown, immigrant, and mixed-status families. Even TSA and security experts say ICE agents are not trained for passenger screening and would not improve safety.

Meanwhile, House Democrats have introduced legislation to fund TSA, FEMA, and other critical DHS operations. But Republicans in Congress continue to block these efforts — creating the very crisis now being used to justify ICE’s expansion into airports.

This is a manufactured emergency with real consequences.

This deployment is not about airport security — it's about using federal facilities as hunting grounds for immigration enforcement. The presence of ICE agents in airports creates a chilling effect that discourages people from traveling, deters families from reuniting, and undermines the fundamental trust in our nation's transportation system.

We demand an immediate end to ICE's presence in our nation's airports. Congress must pass clean funding for TSA and other essential DHS workers without conditions, and ICE agents must be removed from airport security operations immediately.

The American people deserve airports that focus on safety and security, not racial profiling and immigration enforcement. This dangerous practice must end now.