White House border czar Tom Homan told SiriusXM's "Cuomo Mornings" that he expects protests at major airports as officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are deployed to assist with security operations.
When asked whether he is anticipating and preparing for protests, Homan replied, "Oh, I'm sure there will be."
He added that "in the bigger cities, where there's been issues in the past, I expect there's going to be protests outside the airport. But again, ICE officers, they're there to support TSA who's overwhelmed."
Homan said, "We want to start this out low-key and without fanfare … because what's going to happen is we have massive protesters out there."
ICE and Homeland Security Investigations officers are being deployed to more than a dozen airports nationwide.
Homan said that federal immigration officers will not directly assist with security screenings but instead will relieve TSA officers from other areas, such as entry and exit lanes to security checkpoints. That, he noted, will help "move the lines quicker."
The deployment of ICE officers comes as TSA staffing shortages have led to long wait times at airport checkpoints. Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said more than 400 TSA officers have resigned since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, The Hill reported.
The DHS shutdown stems from a standoff in Congress, where Democrats have pushed for reforms to immigration enforcement agencies following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year. Republicans have rejected proposals to fund TSA independently of broader DHS appropriations.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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