Trump wants to put immigration agents at airports

US President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy ICE immigration agents to airports if Democrats in Congress do not immediately approve security funding.

The move comes during an ongoing budget stalemate that is already severely impacting the operation of transportation systems. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are at risk of not receiving their next paycheck, while absenteeism and furloughs are on the rise, disrupting operations at major airports.

President Trump claims that ICE can provide security, even though these agents are not primarily trained to do so.

Democrats have sharply criticised his proposal, talking about abuses of power or creating chaos to exert political pressure. Elon Musk has also stepped in, offering to temporarily fund the salaries of TSA workers.

(reuters, mja)