Atlanta, Georgia - The US immigration agency at the center of a firestorm over heavy-handed enforcement tactics began deploying on Monday to major airports, as officials scrambled to ease mounting travel disruption during a prolonged, partial government shutdown.

The move places Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel – already under intense scrutiny after fatal shootings linked to immigration operations – in highly visible roles at crowded transport hubs across the country.

Officials say the agents are being sent to at least 14 airports – including New York, Chicago, and Atlanta – to assist overstretched Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff, many of whom have gone weeks without full pay.

The agents will not conduct passenger screening but are expected to handle support roles such as monitoring exits and managing logistics, allowing TSA officers to focus on security checks.

The deployment comes as airports struggle with long delays during a busy travel period for the annual spring break, with some passengers reporting waits of several hours.

Unscheduled absences among TSA staff have surged to their highest levels since the beginning of the shutdown, which has halted the operations of the TSA parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security – raising concerns about safety and system strain.

Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's point man on border security, told CNN the move was a temporary measure to "help TSA move those lines along," while Trump framed it as part of a broader effort to maintain security during the funding standoff.

The president told reporters he had not ruled out bolstering the deployment with National Guard troops.

At Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where fliers have experienced some of the longest waits, travelers voiced hopes that ICE agents would be able to bring some order to the disruption.