Ongoing partial closure Department of Homeland Security (Department of Homeland Security) creates a divide among workers Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration, where one group receives a salary and the other receives no salary.
According to the American Mirror, tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration officers continue to work without pay as airports struggle to maintain operations. About 60,000 TSA workers are required to keep security lines running despite being paid $0, leading to staffing shortages and hundreds of resignations since the funding shortage.
Why ICE agents still get paid
The main difference is how the two institutions are funded. ICE operations are currently supported by the Beauty Act Act, a major spending package passed in 2025 Donald Trumpof administration.
The legislation would spend more than $170 billion on immigration enforcement through 2029, far more than the Department of Homeland Security’s typical annual discretionary budget. The funding allows ICE to continue operating and paying personnel even during the shutdown.
Reports cited by USA Today indicate that the funds have been used to pay the salaries of tens of thousands of federal law enforcement agents, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection workers, during previous shutdown scenarios.
Policy analyst Dominic Wright said in a report that such funding would allow immigration enforcement to continue “largely undisrupted” regardless of whether DHS funding stalls. He argued that moving spending outside the traditional budget process effectively bypasses normal checks and balances.
Why TSA workers don’t get paid
In contrast, TSA funding is tied directly to the Department of Homeland Security’s annual budget, which remains mired in political gridlock. As a result, nearly 95% of TSA employees are classified as “essential,” meaning they must continue to work during the shutdown even if they are not immediately paid.
TSA Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill cited the economic pressures faced by workers and recalled the difficulties of past shutdowns. “We’re hearing reports of police officers sleeping in their cars… selling blood and plasma and working second jobs to make ends meet,” she said at a recent hearing, according to PBS.
Asked whether alternative funding could be used to pay TSA workers during the current shutdown, McNeil said, “I don’t think so.”
Increasing impact on airports
The funding impasse has begun to impact airport operations, with absenteeism and delays rising at major hubs.
Meanwhile, ICE agents are deploying to assist at airports with tasks such as monitoring exit lanes and checking identities.
