ICE Arrives At Newark Airport: Inside A Tumultuous First Day

This article was updated at 5 p.m. on March 23

NEWARK, NJ — Airline passengers experienced both smoke and ICE in New Jersey on Monday.

Federal immigration agents were seen walking the concourse at Newark Airport around 6 a.m., two days after President Donald Trump said he was deploying ICE officers into airports around the nation.

As seen in video and photos, the agents were unmasked and wore vests marked “Police,” “ERO” and “Police ICE.”

Thousands of TSA agents have been working without pay for weeks amid a partial government shutdown. Many have called out of work or quit, adding to passengers’ wait times at security gates.

Democrats have been opposing funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless it also comes with several conditions that regulate ICE, including a ban on face masks and requiring federal officers to get warrants before entering homes.

Democrats have also proposed their own funding bills, which Republicans have rejected.

On Saturday, Trump announced that ICE agents would be deployed to U.S. airports to “help our wonderful TSA agents.”

“They will do a fantastic job,” he wrote, adding that he wants “no masks” for ICE agents at airports.

Trump administration officials have tried to blame Democrats for the increasingly frustrating situation.

“The airport lines you’re seeing now are child’s play compared to what you will see next week if TSA misses another paycheck,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said Thursday.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill didn’t agree.

“Every time Donald Trump gets involved, he creates chaos for the American people,” Sherrill said. “This latest proposal is no different.”

“Trump’s ICE has a track record of making communities less safe, and sending untrained ICE agents to staff our airports is not an acceptable solution,” Sherrill said. “Instead, it’s time for Donald Trump and Washington Republicans to do their jobs and fund TSA.”

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey called for Trump to reverse his order during a Monday press conference at the airport.

“Families are being forced to wake up before dawn just to stand in endless lines because the people who keep our airport safe aren’t being paid,” Booker said.

“Meanwhile, ICE has more money than many militaries on Earth,” the senator added. “It’s time to get ICE the hell out of our airports.”

• Related: $900 Billion Military Bill Rejected By 2 NJ Senators

In the meanwhile, passengers may want to schedule some extra travel time when flying out of Newark Airport, authorities say.

“Due to the federal funding lapse, security wait times may be significantly longer than normal,” Newark Airport officials advised Monday. “Please allow for significantly more time and check with your airline for the current status of your flight.”

CONTROL TOWER EVACUATED

A brief ground stop was issued at Newark Airport on Monday morning after smoke was reportedly detected inside a control tower.

Air traffic controllers were evacuated and shifted to an alternate tower. The issue was attributed to grinding gears in an elevator, News 12 New Jersey reported.

The ground stop was canceled after about an hour.

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