Partial Shutdown in the United States: Trump threatens to send immigration police to airports, Elon Musk offers to pay salaries

Since February 14, the United States has been facing a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) due to a deep disagreement between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. This budget deadlock particularly impacts security checks at airports, where wait times are increasing due to unpaid staff.

In response, Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to send ICE agents, immigration police, to ensure security at airports. On his Truth Social network, he called on Democrats to quickly reach an agreement. “If the extreme left Democrats do not immediately sign an agreement for our country, especially our airports, to be free and safe again, I will deploy our brilliant and patriotic ICE agents at airports where they will handle security like never before,” he wrote.

Long waits at security checks

Due to this partial shutdown, thousands of DHS federal employees have been placed on furlough, while thousands of others in essential functions continue to work without pay until lawmakers agree on a budget for DHS, which includes ICE.

The approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees responsible for security checks at airports have not been fully paid since March 13. As a result, absenteeism has increased among them, some working elsewhere while waiting for lawmakers to agree, and others resigning.

As a result, the lines at security checks have lengthened, and it is now common to wait several hours in American airports to pass this step and reach the boarding area. Immigration police continue to operate during the budget deadlock due to funds approved by Congress last year.

TSA had warned that a prolonged shutdown could cause personnel shortages with “significant consequences at airports, including delays, longer waiting times, and flight cancellations.”

Elon Musk’s proposal

In response to the crisis, billionaire Elon Musk proposed on March 21 to pay TSA agents’ salaries during the shutdown, estimating the annual average salary of these agents to be between $50,000 and $60,000, totaling between $2.5 and $3 billion for a full year.

Donald Trump also warned on Saturday that if ICE agents were deployed to airport checkpoints, they would proceed with “immediate arrest of any immigrant entering our country illegally, with particular attention to those coming from Somalia.”

Democrats refuse to vote on the budget until restrictions are imposed on ICE, whose methods are highly contentious. Tension escalated after the deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, leading to nationwide protests.