President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said ICE will be performing a “security function,” targeting criminal illegal immigrants as part of the agency’s deployment to airports nationwide.
“We’re going to arrest criminals going through the airport. We’re going to look for human trafficking, sex trafficking, money smuggling. We’re going to be at the airports, working with our brothers and sisters from TSA, brothers and sisters at DHS, ” Homan said during an interview on Fox News.
Homan was tapped by Trump to lead the new airport security effort to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which has been directly impacted by the federal government funding crisis.
“They’re able to now arrest illegals as they come into the country. That’s very fertile territory—but that’s not why they’re there. They’re really there to help,” Trump said.
A major TSA staff shortage has caused travel chaos, forcing passengers to show up three to four hours before their flight departs.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) condemned Trump’s move to deploy ICE to airports, saying TSA agents must be paid so they can show up to work and do their jobs.
“This is very simple,” Booker said. “Donald Trump needs to do two things: say yes and pay TSA, and get ICE the hell out of our airports and stop causing this chaos in America.”
According to Homan, however, ICE’s presence at airports is already working and has resulted in shorter wait times in security lines.
“We’re filling the holes,” Homan said.
DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis said “hundreds” of ICE officers would be deployed, but would not disclose the specific airports due to security reasons.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) was set to be sworn in as the new DHS secretary on Tuesday after Trump removed Kristi Noem from the role following mounting criticism over her leadership.
Mullin, during his confirmation hearing, called for DHS to be restored.
“We have to get DHS funded,” Mullin told senators. “We have to realize that we’re putting our homeland and the peace of mind at risk for the American people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
