What exactly will ICE do at airports? No one seems to know.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/what-exactly-will-ice-do-at-airports-no-one-seems-to-know/

Surprise! Just one day before Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are supposed to be deployed to airports around the country to help reduce long lines caused by the partial government shutdown and spring break crowds, the Trump administration appears to have no coherent plan for what they will do.

Following Donald Trump’s announcement that ICE agents will be sent to airports starting on Monday to fill in for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees who have been on the job without pay for more than a month, administration officials gave conflicting statements about what exactly this would entail.

Officials at ICE were caught off guard by the president’s directive and have been rushing to create a plan, CBS News reported.

White House border czar Tom Homan, who Trump said would be in charge of the operation, told CNN on Sunday that ICE agents will be assigned to jobs like securing exit gates, allowing trained TSA officers to focus on checkpoints and reducing wait times.

“I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine because they’re not trained in that,” Homan said.

But when CNN host Dana Bash asked for confirmation about whether ICE agents would be posted at security screening lines, Homan responded, “Those discussions are going on now.” He said the administration hoped to have a plan “by the end of [Sunday].”

217 points · 41 comments · view on lemmy.world

41 Comments

comrade_twisty@feddit.org · 117 pts · 164d

ICE has one purpose - instill fear and terrorize people.

darkmogool@feddit.org · 75 pts · 164d (1 reply)

Just normal SS things i guess.

orclev@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 164d

Don't give them that much credit, ICE are the brown shirts. If Trump ever gets his hands on some actual SS then the night of the long knives isn't far off. Trump would never tolerate a group that wasn't 100% loyal exclusively to himself if he didn't have to.

Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net · 33 pts · 164d

Calling it now, a couple of them are going to "oops, lost my gun" inside the airport.

HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works · 25 pts · 164d (1 reply)

The continued stupidity and utter incompetence of this administration continue to astound me.

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 163d

Those are bad, but it's their malice that's really off the scale. So much hatred and spite.

SGGeorwell@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 164d

They’ll increase learned helplessness among the people, and contribute to general Nazi-Germany vibe at the airports for all travelers, foreign and domestic. The fascism intensifies.

mrmaplebar@fedia.io · 23 pts · 164d

Violently terrorize innocent Americans and break up families, like usual.

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 17 pts · 164d

The same thing they've been doing elsewhere? Kidnapping and murdering brown people.

switcheroo@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 164d (1 reply)

Slow shit down. Make everyone uncomfortable. Start shit. Be a bunch of fucking losers with guns and harass everyone.

massacre@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 164d
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floofloof@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 164d (2 replies)

Here's what one person witnessed them doing:

https://infosec.pub/post/43860705

Arcadeep@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 164d (1 reply)

Of course. Not even 24 hours into Monday

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 164d

20:00(ish) Sunday night, 22/3/2026

Vieric@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 164d

Oh you know, Brownshirt stuff...

Batman@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 164d (3 replies)

just imagine going through an ice line as a woman. tsa was already gropy, now they got fucking masks?

Zahille7@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 164d (2 replies)

Masks, body armor, and probably weapons of some kind.

frongt@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 164d

Several kinds. Tasers, pistols, tear gas, flashbangs, batons, submachine guns, rifles...

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 164d

video i saw, they were just in hoodies and backpacks. looked like average travelers until they didn't

deacon@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 164d

The things that ICE could conceivably do with zero training are not coming from the same labor pool that keeps the check points moving.

This is theater at best, but in fairness most of airport security is theater too.

damnthefilibuster@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 164d (3 replies)

This is gonna do wonders for airline stocks.

Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca · 13 pts · 164d (2 replies)

Listen. You can literally hear tourism drying and whithering and turning to dust.

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 164d (1 reply)

US ceased to be a destination last year.

Drusas@fedia.io · 3 pts · 164d

Not internally.

raman_klogius@ani.social · 11 pts · 164d

Server admins literally told the Terrorists to spawn camp

frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io · 10 pts · 164d

Annoy and distract the people working there. They don't have training, don't know the airports, and don't take any burden off the staff that's trying to work. Staff will need to take time away from their duties to on-board all these new people who aren't useful.

fox2263@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 164d

Literally the family guy meme

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 164d

already seen video of them abducting a woman

hanrahan@slrpnk.net · 9 pts · 163d (1 reply)

this a training run for ICE at Polling Booths in the midterms?

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 163d

That's what Steve Bannon is saying, and he's on the inside, so Yes.

Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 164d

I am not confused. They will detain and ship peops off to Alligator Auschwitz in the blink of an eye (already did it this morning) all in the name of efficiency and easy pickins.

UnspecificGravity@piefed.social · 8 pts · 164d (1 reply)

Hassle people in general. Assault and detain anyone who objects. Murder folks even they think they can get away with it. Just generally made the whole experience less safe for everyone.

backalleycoyote@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 164d

Don’t forget kicking puppies! And falling down. And ejecting their clips when they draw. Fucking Keystone Gestapo.

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 164d

What exactly will ICE do at airports? Accidently shoot each other.

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 163d

When you pass them in the airport, tell them their children hate them. That know it's true, and it will eat at them.

atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 164d

Surprise! Just one day before Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are supposed to be deployed to airports around the country to help reduce long lines caused by the partial government shutdown and spring break crowds, the Trump administration appears to have no coherent plan for what they will do.

Yes, very surprising indeed.

lechekaflan@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 163d

Of course, Papers Please.

image

hateisreality@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 164d

To try and intimidated.... fucking traitors

kreskin@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 163d

They will cause trouble and generally make asses of themselves, while serving no public purpose whatsoever. Same as always. And they will slow airports down even worse than they already are.

SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 164d

"Kneel and show your papers!"

Something tells me that won't speed things up any.

sepi@piefed.social · 3 pts · 164d

Deport everybody

Lemminary@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 163d

Harass brown people, duh.