President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy immigration enforcement agents to major United States airports, citing security concerns during an ongoing partial government shutdown. The announcement was made in January 2019, during a 35-day shutdown stemming from a political standoff over funding for a border wall.
The deployment involved agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to assist with security and processing at airports, which were experiencing longer wait times due to a shortage of TSA screeners and air traffic controllers who were working without pay.
The move was criticized by some lawmakers and aviation unions as an escalation that could further strain airport operations and security. The shutdown ended on January 25, 2019, when Congress passed and the president signed a temporary spending bill.
