President Trump deploys ICE to airports Monday to aid TSA during DHS shutdown.

President Trump announced plans to deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports starting Monday to assist TSA officers during a partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown that has lasted over five weeks.

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The directive caught officials at ICE off guard and they have been scrambling to develop an implementation plan, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News.

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Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday, stating that ICE would implement 'unprecedented security measures' at airports unless Democrats agreed to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

White House border czar Tom Homan told CNN that he was working on executing the president's order, while Trump specifically targeted Somali immigrants in his remarks.

Trump claimed Somali immigrants had 'completely destroyed' Minnesota with the approval of 'corrupt' officials including Rep. Ilhan Omar.

The partial DHS shutdown has severely impacted airport operations, with tens of thousands of TSA screeners working without pay since February 14, leading to significant staffing shortages and travel delays.

More than 366 TSA employees have resigned, and unscheduled absences have more than doubled, according to DHS officials.

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Saturday marked the day with the highest number of nationwide call-outs when more than 3,250 employees called out sick, and more than 400 officers have 'separated' from the agency.

This staffing crisis has resulted in extreme wait times at major airports, with lines stretching for hours at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and New York's JFK airports.

New Orleans has advised passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure due to the delays.

Union officials report that some officers have taken on second jobs while several airports have begun collecting food and gift cards for staff who can no longer make ends meet.

Under the deployment plan, ICE agents would assist TSA with tasks such as monitoring exit lanes and checking identification, freeing up TSA officers to focus on passenger screenings, according to Homan's statements to CNN.

“Democrats have refused to pass a full DHS funding bill unless the administration agrees to reforms of ICE”

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He acknowledged that ICE agents would not operate X-ray machines since they are not trained in airport security protocols.

DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that President Trump is 'deploying hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted.'

However, union officials have strongly criticized the plan, with the TSA officers' union rejecting it outright, stating that 'Putting untrained personnel at security checkpoints does not fill a gap. It creates one.'

The Flight Attendants Union has also warned that ICE agents 'simply do not have and cannot learn quickly' the rigorous training required for airport security.

They also warned that ICE agents' introduction creates 'contradictory missions' that could distract from ensuring airport safety.

The deployment comes amid a bitter political standoff over immigration enforcement funding that has led to the partial shutdown of DHS.

Democrats have demanded that any DHS funding include new oversight measures for ICE, following the agency's role in the killings of two American citizens in Minneapolis in January.

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They have called for ICE agents to coordinate more closely with local law enforcement, obtain warrants in some cases and wear body cameras during operations.

Republicans have rejected Democrats' proposal to fund TSA separately while continuing negotiations over immigration enforcement spending, insisting on funding the entire department together.

The Trump administration has maintained that ICE operations are largely being funded during the partial shutdown thanks to an influx of cash from Trump's tax breaks bill last year.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the airport security situation was 'going to get much worse' before it improves, while bipartisan negotiators met in person with White House border czar Tom Homan to work toward a resolution.

The airport chaos has reached critical levels, with travelers facing unprecedented wait times and missed flights.

“Enhanced role for immigration officers at US airports as shutdown frustrates travels and screeners Enhanced role for immigration officers at US airports as shutdown frustrates travels and screeners WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s decision to order federal immigration agents to U”

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At Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, some travelers waited in line for nearly six hours at the main security checkpoint where only two TSA agents were on hand midafternoon to check IDs.

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Many passengers missed their flights and scrambled to book later flights or add themselves to standby lists that were already dozens of names long.

The situation has prompted warnings from major airlines, with executives from American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, UPS and JetBlue jointly warning Congress that the shutdown is placing unsustainable strain on airport security staff and passengers.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged the mounting pressure on travelers, saying, 'You've got people standing in lines at the airports. This needs to be fixed.'

Experts have raised concerns about potential security gaps, with former TSA Administrator John Pistole warning that the worst-case scenario is an untrained screener missing something and a terrorist exploiting the gap to get on a plane.

While the Trump administration insists the ICE deployment will begin Monday, there remain significant questions about the implementation plan.

Homan admitted that the plan was still a 'work in progress' and that ICE agents' specific duties and numbers were still subject to discussions with TSA and ICE leadership.

DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis said 'hundreds' of ICE officers would be deployed but would not disclose which airports would receive them, citing security reasons.

The plan has drawn bipartisan criticism, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, calling it a 'bad idea' and questioning whether additional tensions were needed on top of existing problems.

Senate Majority Leader Thune has threatened to cancel the upcoming two-week Easter recess unless a deal is reached, indicating the urgency of the situation.

The deployment comes as senators advanced the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to be Trump's next homeland security secretary by a largely party-line vote, with a confirmation vote potentially coming as early as Monday.