Passengers at Dulles International Airport saw an unusually large number of federal police officers Tuesday, as President Donald Trump attempts to reduce wait times for security screening amid the partial government shutdown.
About a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were gathered late Tuesday morning in the main terminal at Dulles. Nearby were about two dozen Department of Homeland Security police officers, several armed with long guns.
While midday flights at Dulles were coming and going as usual, there was an outsized presence of federal law enforcement in the airport, which straddles Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, 28 miles from the White House.
ICE officers were deployed to Dulles as Transportation Security Administration workers who staff security checkpoints remain unpaid during the partial government shutdown and Trump tries to shorten wait times during airport screenings.
Many TSA employees have called in sick during the partial shutdown — leading to long security lines nationwide. The Associated Press has reported at least 458 TSA workers have quit since the partial government shutdown began.
WTOP has asked TSA to provide examples of specific tasks ICE agents are performing to assist with screening.
In smaller groupings, ICE officers, dressed in khaki green uniforms with “ICE Police” across the back, slowly walked through the public terminal several times. At other times, officers entered doors reserved for security personnel.
At Trump’s request, ICE officers did not wear masks during their time at the airport.
The Department of Homeland Security police officers also circled inside the terminal. Most passengers at the airport seemed focused on getting to their flights, although some flyers stopped to grab a photo or video of the federal officers.
Both the Department of Homeland Security and TSA have declined to specify which airports ICE officers will be sent to, for “operational safety reasons.”
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