President Donald Trump is asking Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers not to wear face masks while helping alleviate the strain caused at airports due to a monthlong partial government shutdown.
“I am a BIG proponent of ICE wearing masks as they search for, and are forced to deal with, hardened criminals, many of whom were let into our Country by Sleepy Joe Biden and his wonderful ‘Border Czar,’ Kamala (she never even went to the Border!), through their absolutely INSANE Open Border Policy,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday morning. “I would greatly appreciate, however, NO MASKS, when helping our Country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports, etc.”
Border czar Tom Homan, who has been tapped by Trump to lead the operation, said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday that ICE officers will stay within their areas of expertise. Officers are so far being sent to 13 airports, according to CNN, and will be tasked with helping the Transportation Security Administration employees who staff the nation’s airports.
“I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine because you’re not trained in that,” Homan said.
The president said in a previous Truth Social post that officers, as part of the deployment, would help with security, framing the surge as helping to alleviate staffing shortages as TSA officers go without pay during a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
ICE officers wearing masks has been a sticking point between Republicans and Democrats during negotiations to fund the DHS, as well as implementing a judicial warrant requirement. The demands come after public outcry over the administration’s operations in Minnesota that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens. The operations involved ICE officers who were sent to the state amid reports of fraudulent activity in the Somali community.
Negotiations over DHS funding got more complicated over the weekend after Trump demanded that the SAVE America Act, an election integrity bill, be attached to any deal. Trump reportedly rejected a deal brought to him by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) that would fund everything within the DHS except ICE, which could be addressed in a party-line budget process known as reconciliation.
TRUMP THREATENS TO REPLACE TSA OFFICERS WITH ICE AGENTS AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON
“I don’t think we should make any deal with the Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats unless, and until, they Vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,’” Trump wrote. “Put it all together, and also, let Leader Thune clearly identify those few ‘Republicans’ that are Voting against AMERICA. They will never be elected again! In other words, lump everything together as one, and VOTE!!! Kill the Filibuster, and stay in D.C. for Easter, if necessary.”
Homan has taken on a more prominent role in Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts since taking the reins from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Minnesota after the fatal shootings.