Energy
Trump threatens to deploy ICE agents to airports if DHS shutdown doesn't end, while Elon Musk offers to cover TSA agents' pay
Key Points
â President Donald Trump threatened âto send federal â immigration agents âto U.S. â airports unless Democrats immediately âagree to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump said he plans to move ICE agents into airports as soon as Monday, telling them, "GET READY."
Separately, Tesla CEO and former Trump advisor Elon Musk said he would like to cover the pay of Transportation Security Administration workers during the shutdown.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House for Florida, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 20, 2026.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
President Donald Trump on âSaturday âthreatened âto send federal â immigration agents âto U.S. â airports unless congressional Democrats immediately âagree to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
"I will move our â brilliant and âpatriotic âICE Agents to the Airports â where they will â do â Security like no one âhas âever seen before," Trump wrote in âa Truth Social post. The Trump administration has faced heavy criticism for aggressive deportation tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents.
Trump claimed ICE agents handling airport security would arrest immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, specifically targeting individuals from Somalia.
In a separate post later in the day, Trump said he plans to move ICE agents into airports as soon as Monday, telling them to "GET READY."
"I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, 'GET READY.' NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!" he wrote.
When asked for comment, the White House referred to Trump's social media. DHS did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.
A bipartisan group of senators met with DHS border czar Tom Homan last night to discuss additional immigration enforcement concessions made by the White House on Friday in an attempt to end the partial government shutdown, POLITICO reported, citing lawmakers in attendance.
The Senate is in session Saturday and Sunday, working on other legislative issues, but it is unclear whether further talks or a vote on the new DHS funding proposal will take place.
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