U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were not expected to perform any security jobs at Sacramento International Airport as of Monday, officials said after President Donald Trump deployed agents to airports across major US cities.
Transportation Security Administration officers in Sacramento did not spot any ICE agents Monday, said James Mudrock, a TSA worker for about 21 years.
In an emailed statement, a Sacramento airport spokesperson said officials were “aware” that “ICE agents may be assigned to provide TSA functions at certain airports,” but “there are currently no plans to use ICE to support TSA at SMF.”
“SMF will continue to work with our TSA and airline partners to ensure the airport is a safe and efficient travel experience,” another portion of the airport’s statement read. “We value the dedication of TSA and all frontline staff working through a busy spring season without pay.”
Early Sunday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that ICE agents would be headed to airports on Monday to help TSA agents amid the shutdown, for which he blamed “Radical Left Democrats.” He had threatened the move in another post on Saturday.
ICE agents were spotted Monday at multiple locations, including San Francisco International Airport, which uses private contractors with TSA oversight for passenger screenings. Mudrock said he had not heard about any other Northern California airports that were receiving ICE agents. Mudrock serves as the Northern California vice president for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1260. The union represents transportation security officers in California, Nevada and Arizona.
A post on the Sacramento International Airport’s Facebook page said airport officials had heard about a possible demonstration protesting ICE. As of early afternoon, only one woman had shown up to protest, airport spokesperson Scott Johnston said. She held up a sign while standing in a grassy area outside Terminal A near the United Airlines gate, and she was cooperative with airport officials, Johnston said.
The airport, like many across the country, has experienced a higher number of TSA workers calling out sick as they continue without pay during a partial government shutdown that cut off funds to the Department of Homeland Security. Funding for the DHS lapsed after Congress failed to reach an agreement on immigration enforcement reforms following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — U.S. citizens shot and killed by federal agents.
TSA officers received their last paycheck, a partial one, on Feb. 28 for work completed before the shutdown began Feb. 14.
As of Monday, call-out rates were “a little higher than normal but not too bad,” Mudrock said. He declined to elaborate on numbers, saying he didn’t want to provide specifics that could be misused.
Security lines appeared to move smoothly for Sacramento International Airport passengers Saturday morning. And the airport representative said Monday that “staffing callouts have remained minimal,” with security wait times remaining consistent with pre-shutdown times.
However, Mudrock noted that on Friday the queue for Terminal B was almost full when he stopped by.
The airport recommended travelers arrive at least two hours before their flights depart in case security checkpoint wait times fluctuate due to TSA staffing levels; the county previously said travelers should plan on getting to the airport three hours before their planes take off.
The situation drew heightened concern after Trump said on social media that ICE agents would be deployed to airports, writing Saturday that agents should “GET READY” and that “NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!”
On Sunday, a video appearing to show immigration agents restraining a crying woman in front of her child at San Francisco International Airport circulated on social media platforms. State Sen. Scott Wiener said at a news conference Monday that, as he understood it, federal agents brought the woman to the airport “to put her and her child on a plane for deportation,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote on X that the “upsetting” situation was an “isolated incident,” according to conversations with airport officials and law enforcement. “We have no reason to believe there is broader federal immigration enforcement at SFO,” he wrote.
The New York Times reported that 100 to 150 ICE officers were sent to airports nationwide to assist TSA agents, though their presence did not immediately ease travel disruptions.
Agents were seen Monday at airports including Newark Liberty outside New York, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta and O’Hare International in Chicago, according to the Times, with others expected in Houston; Phoenix; Fort Myers, Florida; and Philadelphia.
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 1:35 PM.
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Madison Smalstig covers transportation for The Sacramento Bee. Before joining The Bee, she reported on breaking news, focusing on crime and public safety, in the North Bay for three years. Smalstig is a born and raised Hoosier and earned degrees in journalism and Spanish at Indiana University.