Passengers waiting for security checks at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport [AP Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 22nd (local time) that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would be deployed to U.S. airports, which are experiencing congestion due to the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, starting the following day.

President Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Sunday morning, stating, "Starting Monday (the 23rd), ICE will go to airports to help our great Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees."

He criticized the Democratic Party, saying, "The radical left Democrats, who are so focused on protecting violent criminals who have illegally entered our country, are endangering America by withholding long-agreed-upon funds, yet TSA employees continue their work."

He emphasized, "No matter how well ICE does their job, the lunatics leading the incompetent Democrats will still blame them," adding, "(ICE) will do a fantastic job."

It appears to be President Trump's strategy to deploy ICE, a frontrunner in strict immigration enforcement policies, to alleviate passenger inconvenience while shifting the blame for airport congestion to the Democratic Party.

In the U.S., budget processing for the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for airport security screening, has been delayed due to disagreements between the Republican and Democratic parties over immigration enforcement policy reform. Consequently, TSA employees, who have not been receiving salaries, have been taking unpaid leave or quitting, causing disruptions in airport security screening and increasing passenger inconvenience.

However, there are concerns that since ICE agents are not familiar with airport security screening or have not received relevant training, it is unclear whether their deployment to airports will immediately alleviate congestion.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal criticized the move, calling it "another reckless and unlawful threat to misuse ICE agents." He stated, "Americans would be appalled to see ICE agents roaming airports as they have raided homes."

The previous day, President Trump had threatened to deploy ICE agents to airports, stating that their mission would also include the immediate arrest of undocumented immigrants.

The Democratic Party had pledged not to pass the Department of Homeland Security budget until the Trump administration agreed to immigration enforcement policy reforms, following an incident in January in Minnesota where two U.S. citizens were shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation. However, recently, Democratic leadership has proposed to the Republican Party to pass the TSA budget separately first, considering the disruptions in airport security screening.