ARIZONA BORDER AND IMMIGRATION NEWS
U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton says Trump should focus on compromise, not putting ICE agents in airports
Democrats are refusing to approve full DHS funding without ICE policy reforms. U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton outlines a potential solution.
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PHOENIX — President Donald Trump’s decision to send immigration agents to airports to alleviate staffing shortages within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wasn’t the right move, according to U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona.
The disagreement centers on funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We can get TSA agents paid today if the Republicans in the House and Senate would just agree to fund everything except for ICE so we can leave ICE disagreements for another day,” Stanton told reporters on Monday.
For context, Democrats are refusing to approve full Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding without ICE policy reforms.
Meanwhile, Republicans have been pushing to fully fund the department and the agencies under it on a short-term basis, while Democrats want to fund TSA and other DHS functions, excluding ICE.
“Look, Sen. John Thune, the Republican president of the Senate, went to the White House today to tell the president he should agree to fund TSA right away. He suggested that they deal with ICE funding through a reconciliation process,” Stanton said. “The president refused to go along with the recommendation of the Senate’s top Republican.”
In the meantime, travelers are seeing ICE agents at U.S. airports, including Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, as TSA struggles with staffing shortages.
Another traveler named Ryan has a different take.
“I support ICE 100%,” Ryan added. “I think they’re doing a hell of a job.”
So while he’s not happy to wait in line, he told @ColtonKrolak it’s worth it to keep Americans safe. pic.twitter.com/yUEqafSLaN
— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) March 23, 2026
Travelers this week cited long wait times. Some said they were unhappy to see ICE agents, while others said they were happy with the sight.
Democrats seek to restore DHS funding through petition
Stanton accused Trump of using this situation for political leverage, rather than accepting the agreement and funding TSA, the Coast Guard and FEMA, saving the ICE funding for another day.
Since the president isn’t budging, Democrats in Congress are seeking a workaround: a discharge petition in the House that could force a vote on non-ICE DHS funding.
“I have signed that discharge petition. We have seen success in which Republicans have signed some of our discharge petitions,” Stanton said.
Stanton emphasized that his top priority is getting all the other agents in DHS funded.
“We can have these ongoing discussions about ICE. One should not be leveraged off to the other,” he said. “We can do a deal on what we agree upon and then we can move forward on the other things. TSA agents should be paid today.”
“Immediately fund TSA. Immediately fund all the other agencies in the Department of Homeland Security, and we can have these ongoing discussions about ICE. One should not be leveraged off of the other,” @RepGregStanton says. “TSA agents should be paid today.”
🎥: KTAR News… pic.twitter.com/rji9AmrFnu
— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) March 23, 2026
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz McNair contributed to this report.
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Comments
24 Comments
Maybe Greg Stanton and his fellow democrats should focus on this more and President Trump less....
An illegal alien, released into the United States by former President Joe Biden’s administration, shot and killed 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, as she ran for her life trying to flee for safety.
About 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Gorman, 18, was with a group of friends on the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach in Loyola Park, a few blocks north of Loyola’s campus. Gorman alerted her friends that someone was hiding near the pier, at which point the group of friends was chased by the person, who has been identified as Medina, Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara said in court Monday. [Emphasis added]
Medina opened fire and shot Gorman in her back as she tried to run away, Pekara said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. [Emphasis added]
Gorman’s friends were able to duck for cover in the grassy area near the pier as Medina ran back to an apartment on North Sheridan Road, where he had left earlier, Pekara said. Gorman’s friends observed Medina dressed mostly in black, including a black face mask
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said the quiet part out loud 2 years ago: "That has been the Democratic strategy for 30 years maybe, and it has failed to deliver for the people we care about most, the undocumented Americans that are in this country"
They are the same ICE policies every other president used and no complaints from anyone. The ICE agents started wearing mask because peaceful protesters were threatening their lives and their families lives. President Trump closed the border and started deporting the illegal aliens and we all know democrats put illegal aliens before Americans(see the SOTU address) & bamm all of sudden ICE needs to be reformed. Greg Stanton has about as much pull in DC as a two legged mule dose in a cornfield.