U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports across the country, escalating rhetoric over border security and immigration enforcement.
In a series of posts on social media Saturday, Trump accused Democrats of weakening national security amid a partial shutdown on the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees screening agents at airports across america.
The political dispute means agents of the Transportation Security Administration aren’t getting paid, prompting long lineups at major airports.
Trump said ICE agents might be sent in to take over airport security functions.
“If the Democrats don’t allow for just and proper security at our airports … ICE will do the job much better than ever done before,” Trump wrote.
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He added that he has told ICE agents to “prepare,” signalling a possible move as early as Monday.
Trump also said ICE could perform arrests at airports, including targeting undocumented immigrants, and made specific references to migrants from Somalia.
The comments come amid heightened tensions around immigration enforcement in america, including recent controversial ICE operations.
Earlier this yr, the fatal shootings of U.S. residents by ICE agents in Minneapolis sparked protests and political backlash, with local officials disputing federal accounts of the incident.
The incident intensified scrutiny of ICE’s expanded role in domestic enforcement and contributed to ongoing political divisions over immigration policy.
Trump has repeatedly defended ICE operations and signalled a willingness to expand their role, including deploying agents to major U.S. cities and potentially critical infrastructure.
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