Donald Trump has warned that he will send ICE troops to US airports and arrest illegal aliens if Democrats do not agree to his budget demands for the Department of Homeland Security
“If the Radical Left Democrats do not immediately sign a deal to make our airports free and safe again, I will be moving our patriotic ICE agents into the airports, where they will engage in unprecedented security enforcement, including the arrest of all illegal immigrants entering our country, with special emphasis on those from Somalia. I look forward to seeing ICE operating in our airports,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account on Saturday.
Trump’s comments come as the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not received any new funding in nearly five weeks.
The move has left TSA officers working without pay, leading to staff shortages and long lines at airports across the country, as well as concerns about the ability to prevent attacks.
Republicans want to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), while Democrats want to create separate funding for agencies like the TSA.
Major airports in the United States have experienced severe delays, with security wait times exceeding 3 hours in some areas, due to the large number of TSA officers absent. The worst-hit airports include Houston (HOU, IAH), Atlanta (ATL), New Orleans (MSY), and Philadelphia (PHL).
