US deploys immigration agents to airports amid shutdown chaosFederal law enforcement agents, including some with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, stand inside Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. The move places Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel -- already under intense scrutiny after fatal shootings linked to immigration operations -- in highly visible roles at crowded transport hubs across the country. At Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where fliers have experienced some of the longest waits, travelers voiced hopes that ICE agents would be able to bring some order to the disruption. Against that backdrop, the airport deployment has taken on outsized significance, highlighting the increasingly blurred lines between immigration enforcement and domestic security roles. Democrats have pushed to reopen most of DHS while demanding new limits on immigration enforcement, while Republicans have resisted those conditions.

Source: Bangkok Post March 24, 2026 02:42 UTC