{"id":677331,"date":"2026-03-24T02:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T02:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/677331\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T02:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T02:32:13","slug":"ice-agents-assisting-tsa-at-houston-airports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/677331\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE agents assisting TSA at Houston airports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are now working alongside TSA officers at Houston-area airports, but exactly what they\u2019re doing\u2014and how much authority they have\u2014remains unclear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Passengers at William P. Hobby Airport told KPRC 2 they\u2019ve noticed the increased presence and have mixed reactions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">On Monday, ICE agents\u2014some wearing Homeland Security Investigations vests\u2014were seen inside Hobby Airport walking through terminals and assisting travelers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>RELATED: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.click2houston.com\/news\/local\/2026\/03\/23\/christian-menefee-addresses-tsa-issues-at-houston-airports-after-reported-ice-involvement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>\u2018Chaos\u2019: Congressman Christian Menefee addresses TSA issues at Houston airports after reported ICE involvement<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The presence comes as the partial government shutdown continues to impact TSA staffing, raising concerns about long lines and delays. Some travelers arriving hours ahead of their flights say they aren\u2019t taking any chances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe\u2019ve been here since about, probably like 12, like 11:40. Yeah, yeah, like 11:40, and we leave at 6:45,\u201d said Janai Martinez.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">KPRC 2 sent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a list of specific questions about ICE\u2019s role at airports\u2014including what duties agents are performing, whether they are interacting with passengers, whether they will reduce wait times, and whether they can detain someone with a warrant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">DHS did not directly answer several of those questions. Instead, officials said ICE agents are being deployed to support the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) during staffing shortages. Officials also said ICE agents are not part of the TSA screening process. However, DHS did not provide details on exactly what those agents are doing inside airports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Travelers at Hobby Airport shared a wide range of opinions about seeing ICE agents on site.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cHow are we at a war and we\u2019re not securing our airports?\u201d one traveler asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cI feel like they are just scaring people because no one wants to see ICE here,\u201d one woman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe need to pay our TSA agents. Do whatever it takes. They can pay for other stuff, so why not them?\u201d said Seth Saldivar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThe world\u2026 we\u2019ve been through these things before over the years. It\u2019s just one of those things that you deal with. Move on, pack your patience when you travel, and be kind,\u201d said Lori Evans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Around lunchtime, wait times at Hobby Airport were under 12 minutes. But whether ICE agents are helping keep those lines moving remains unclear. DHS did not directly answer KPRC 2\u2019s question about whether ICE agents will reduce wait times. Instead, officials pointed to staffing challenges\u2014particularly at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. According to DHS, nearly 40 percent of TSA officers called out at Bush Airport, making it one of the hardest-hit major airports in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">One traveler said he experienced the impact firsthand. \u201cPeople were getting upset or getting out of control. It was chaos,\u201d Saldivar said.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Another key question still unanswered: what authority ICE agents have inside airports. KPRC 2 specifically asked DHS whether ICE agents can detain someone at the airport, including individuals with warrants. That question was not addressed. DHS also declined to say exactly where ICE agents are stationed, citing operational security.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">KPRC 2 also reached out to the TSA union for insight on how the presence of ICE agents is impacting officers on the ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">For now, federal officials maintain ICE agents are at airports strictly to support TSA operations. Travelers are still encouraged to arrive early, check with their airline for updates, and prepare for possible delays.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are now working alongside TSA officers at Houston-area airports, but&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":677332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5130],"tags":[839,62020,9967,50610,4345,15565,358,1164,140578,3187],"class_list":["post-677331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-airport","tag-bush-airport","tag-gas-prices","tag-hobby-airport","tag-houston","tag-ice-agents","tag-texas","tag-travel","tag-tsa","tag-tx"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116281812361895747","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=677331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/677332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=677331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=677331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=677331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}