President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will be deployed to airports starting Monday to assist with security operations as a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown has created extensive wait times at TSA checkpoints.

The partial shutdown has entered its sixth week after Congress failed to renew DHS funding, leaving hundreds of thousands of homeland security workers without pay, including TSA agents, Secret Service personnel, and Coast Guard members. Democrats are demanding changes to federal immigration enforcement policies before agreeing to funding.

White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE agents would serve as a "force multiplier" by covering exit lanes currently monitored by TSA agents and checking passenger identification before screening areas, freeing TSA personnel to work security lines. Homan emphasized that ICE agents would not operate X-ray machines, as they are not trained for that function. He said priority would be given to large airports experiencing three-hour wait times.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that TSA wait times could worsen as the shutdown continues, creating uncertainty for travelers who don't know whether to arrive one and a half hours or four hours early for flights. At Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday, security lines wrapped from one end of the terminal to the other, while John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York saw crowds of anxious travelers and TSA staff using megaphones to manage crowds.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the plan, calling the deployment of "untrained ICE agents" to airports unnecessary. Rep. Kevin Kiley described the solution as "not ideal" but acceptable as a temporary measure. The Senate was expected to advance the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin to serve as Trump's next homeland security secretary, with a confirmation vote possible as early as Monday.

Homan has been meeting with bipartisan senators about the shutdown but said they have not yet reached agreement. The deployment represents an expanded role for ICE agents, who already conduct criminal investigations at many airports related to smuggling operations.