US President Donald Trump has warned of deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to ensure security at airports during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. Trump’s statement on Truth Social emphasized that without a prompt agreement from Democrats, ICE agents would be stationed at airports for unprecedented security measures. The US Senate’s recent failure to advance a House-approved bill for DHS funding stems from bipartisan discord over immigration enforcement, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
About 50,000 unpaid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers have been on duty since February 14 due to the DHS funding lapse, causing significant delays at major US airports. Security checkpoint wait times have exceeded three hours in airports like Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Despite ongoing negotiations over the past five weeks, little headway has been made between Republicans advocating for DHS funding and Democrats pushing for separate TSA funding without immigration components.
In a separate development, a Democratic lawmaker introduced the Welcoming International Success Act in the US House of Representatives to counter President Trump’s proclamation imposing stringent wage requirements and high fees on H-1B visa employers. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman’s legislation aims to overturn the 2025 proclamation that set rigid wage levels and imposed a $100,000 fee on H-1B worker sponsors.
