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Spokane not included in airports receiving officers from ICE

Air travelers at Spokane International Airport hurry to catch their flights on Nov. 21, 2025. Spokane was not one of 14 airports slated to receive officers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Thomas Clouse tomc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5495

Officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrived Monday at several U.S. airports, but Spokane and Seattle were not among them.

The move comes a day after President Donald Trump announced that he would send ICE officers to airports to help with delays unless Democrats agreed to a deal to fully fund the Transportation Security Administration, which handles security for air travel.

Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, said officers would be sent to more than 14 airports in all, but he declined to identify the locations due to concerns about public protests.

“We’re going to first send out to the biggest airports with the biggest wait lines,” Homan said, according to the Washington Post.

Representatives for airports in Atlanta; Cleveland; Newark; New Orleans; New York; Fort Myers, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Phoenix confirmed that ICE officers would be on site Monday. The George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport, both in Houston, also were anticipating some officers, according to the Houston Airports website.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson confirmed a planned deployment of about 75 ICE personnel at O’Hare International Airport, saying the officers would monitor exit lanes, make passenger announcements and assist with managing lines.

Alannah Toft, spokeswoman for Spokane Airports, said ICE officers have not been deployed at Spokane International Airport.

”We are not aware of any ICE deployment at GEG at this time,” Toft said in an email.

TSA staffers are working without pay, and some have stayed home, amid the shutdown of some parts of the Department of Homeland Security, which began after its funding lapsed on Feb. 14. Democrats have opposed a GOP-backed bill to reopen the agency over demands for measures to rein in the aggressive tactics that federal officers have used in pursuing Trump’s mass deportation operation.

Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, told The Spokesman-Review that Trump “is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours long lines at airports across the country – especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families.

“This pointless, reckless shutdown of our homeland security workforce has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food or rent,” Bis continued. “While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted. This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions.”

Spokesman-Review reporter Orion Donovan Smith and the Washington Post contributed to this report.