Why are ICE agents getting paid during the partial government shutdown, but not the TSA?

This article originally appeared on PolitiFact.

President Donald Trump sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to some US airports starting March 23 in an effort to ease hours-long security wait times amid a partial government shutdown.

He watches: ICE agents are fanning out at major U.S. airports as TSA faces a shortage of closures

“We have put ICE in charge, and they are helping (Transportation Security Administration) agents,” Trump said at an event in Memphis, Tennessee. It is not clear what the officers’ roles are. Trump also said he would consider deploying the National Guard if necessary.

There is one important difference between ICE and TSA agents: ICE agents are still getting paid, but TSA agents have not been paid in more than a month.

The funding impasse stems from the killing of US citizens Rene Judd and Alex Peretti in Minnesota by federal agents. Democrats are demanding policy changes in immigration officers’ tactics, such as requiring them to wear body cameras and not wear masks.

Both parties agreed to fund the rest of the government while seeking a compromise on funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

As negotiations faltered, hundreds of TSA agents resigned during the partial shutdown, and thousands more were laid off.

Why is ICE funded and not TSA?

Trump’s big bill pays nice to ICE agents.

Trump’s 2025 tax and spending bill included about $75 billion for ICE over four years, including $45 billion for new immigration detention beds and $30 billion to hire 10,000 ICE employees, upgrade facilities and more.

He watches: Long lines, frustrations mount at airports as DHS shutdown stresses TSA staff

The TSA remains unfunded. During government shutdowns, employees are not paid, including those considered essential who still must report to work. About 95% of TSA’s 60,000 employees are considered essential workers.

The 2019 law requires the government to pay employees’ wages when funding resumes. Following the 43-day shutdown in the fall of 2025 — the longest shutdown in U.S. history — outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem awarded $10,000 bonuses to TSA officers who provide “exemplary service” during the shutdown.

What changes do Democrats demand for ICE?

In a February letter to Republican leaders in Congress, Democratic leaders listed 10 measures they wanted to enact to rein in ICE’s tactics.

The biggest Democratic-led changes would require immigration officials to:

• Must have a court order to enter private property.
• Display names and ID numbers.
• Do not use the behavior app near hospitals, schools or churches.
• Not wearing face coverings.
• Use body cameras.

On March 17, border czar Tom Homan and White House Legislative Affairs Director James Bride responded with a proposed expansion of the use of body cameras, limited enforcement in hospitals and schools, and clearer identification of officers.

The Hill newspaper reported that some Democrats in Congress said the proposal was insufficient and did not codify the changes in the law.

Democrats and Republicans are seeking ways to fund the TSA while ICE negotiations continue

A Democratic proposal to fund the TSA solely failed along party lines on March 21. Democrats also introduced a bill that would fund most of the Department of Homeland Security — including TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard — but not ICE or Customs and Border Protection.

Separately, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has also proposed immediately dismantling DHS spending bills and TSA funding, according to The Hill. He said Republicans could then fund ICE and CBP through the budget reconciliation process that would allow Republicans to maneuver around the Democratic filibuster. Although ICE and CBP are using the additional money they received from the One Big Beautiful Bill during the shutdown, they still need to go through the appropriations process to secure the rest of their funding.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Republicans should not make a deal with Democrats until Democrats vote to pass the Save America Act, a bill that would change federal voter registration requirements.

What will ICE do at airports?

When ICE officers were deployed to several airports across the country, it was not clear what their role was.

Homan said on March 22 that he was working on a plan.

“I don’t see an ICE agent looking into an X-ray machine, because we’re not trained for that,” Homan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program on March 22. He added that ICE agents can help secure exits.

Trump told reporters on March 23 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at airports can arrest immigrants who are in the United States illegally “as they enter the country,” but said that is not why the agents are there. “They are really there to help.”

CBP officers at airports determine whether people traveling to the United States are legally allowed to enter the country.