Border czar says ICE may not leave airports once TSA officers are paid

Border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would remain at airports until TSA officers are able to resume normal operations.“We’re going to continue an ICE presence there, and until the airports feel like they’re in 100%, you know, in a posture where they can do normal operations,” Homan said in an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”

Border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would remain at airports until TSA officers are able to resume normal operations.

“We’re going to continue an ICE presence there, and until the airports feel like they’re in 100%, you know, in a posture where they can do normal operations,” Homan said in an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “So if less TSA agents come back, that means we’ll keep more ICE agents there.”

His comments come days after President Donald Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to pay Transportation Security Administration officers as the partial shutdown continues. Homan said in a separate Sunday interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” that TSA officers will “hopefully” get paid by Monday or Tuesday.

Asked on CNN whether ICE agents would leave airports once TSA officers start getting paid, Homan said, “We’ll see.”

ICE agents patrol at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Monday.Adam Gray / Reuters“It depends how many TSA agents come back to work, how many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plan of coming back to work. I’m working very closely with TSA administrator and the ICE director to decide what airport needs what,” he said.