ICE agents deployed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, mayor responds

ICE agents deployed to Chicago's O'Hare airport

ICE agents are now on duty inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. They've been deployed to airports nationwide to help TSA agents and travelers who are dealing with long wait times.

CHICAGO - Federal immigration agents have been deployed at O'Hare International Airport, prompting concern from Mayor Brandon Johnson.

What they're saying:

In a statement, Johnson said the Department of Homeland Security sent about 75 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to O’Hare starting Monday.

According to DHS, ICE agents will perform non-screening support duties, including monitoring exit lanes, making routine passenger announcements and helping with line management. The roles are intended to allow Transportation Security Administration officers to focus on passenger and baggage screening.

Johnson said he has "concerns" about the deployment of ICE agents at airports.

"We will closely monitor the deployment and use every tool we have to ensure that people, no matter their immigration status, can travel to and from Chicago safely and without harassment from the federal government," Johnson said.

He also said the city is in communication with TSA Local 777 leadership and airport partners.

Midway International Airport is not expected to have a similar deployment. City officials said there have been no significant delays tied to the plan but advised travelers to check flight times and allow extra time at the airport.

Laura Appenzeller, a traveler, said she saw ICE agents in airports in Phoenix and at Chicago's O'Hare.

"There were ICE agents that were working each of the TSA lines and it was a little startling because they had flak jackets on and they had guns on them, but they were not masked the way you see them on TV," she said. 

Appenzeller said the agents were assigned to provide security in Chicago, but in Phoenix they were seen performing TSA duties.

"They were putting suitcases in bins and actually at the TSA lines, so duties that I would say would be only for people who had been trained as TSA personnel."

TSA agents have been calling out sick, leaving staff unable to handle the number of people traveling for spring break. Passengers said airports were in chaos, with wait times of up to four hours.. 

Under the Department of Homeland Security, TSA agents have been working without pay for more than a month because of the partial government shutdown. ICE agents, however, are being paid.

Matt Potrzebowski drove to O’Hare from Madison, Wisconsin with his family. He said, "I really feel for TSA, the fact that they’re not getting paid is ridiculous. So to have some help to monitor some of the exits as I read and to have secondary support, all for it because I do think we need to keep this country moving forward."

Big picture view:

President Donald Trump said over the weekend he would use federal immigration officers to help field long airport security lines starting Monday unless Democrats agreed on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have pledged to oppose funding for DHS unless reforms are made in the wake of an immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to the fatal shootings of two protesters.

The presence of ICE agents at airports, Trump said, would be to assist the TSA, which is facing a shortage and call-out of workers as they’re going unpaid during the shutdown. ICE is continuing to be funded through the shutdown.  

Reuters and CNN were reporting ICE agents had been deployed to at least 13 airports, based on information from sources and social media posts:

• Cleveland
• Atlanta
• Houston
• New York (JFK and LaGuardia)
• New Orleans
• San Juan
• New Jersey
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• Pittsburgh
• Fort Meyers

ICE agents were clearly identified and working at least one major airport – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. They could be seen wearing ICE police vests and helping with crowd control and line management at the TSA checkpoint, where the line stretched for several hours.