ICE agents dispatched to airports as TSA shortage worsens
Travelers are facing long lines at TSA as ICE officers are deployed to airports during the partial government shutdown.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are credited with saving the life of a toddler at John F. Kennedy Airport.
ICE agents who were at JFK Airport to assist Transportation Security Administration agents responded on March 25 when a 1-year-old child became unresponsive and unable to breathe in his father’s arms for nearly two minutes, according to a Department of Homeland Security news release.
Officers heard the father’s cries for help and responded. The father handed the unresponsive child over to officers, who began the Heimlich maneuver, DHS said.
After a few seconds, the child began breathing again. When paramedics arrived, the child was re-examined and determined to be healthy enough to fly, DHS said.
Closed-circuit television footage posted by DHS to
“ICE officers took action and saved the life of this 1-year-old child. Had our officers not rushed to the scene and taken action, the outcome would have been tragic,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. “Despite the constant smears and lies told about them by sanctuary politicians and the media, our ICE officers show up every day to protect our homeland and our fellow Americans.”
The agency said this is the second child ICE agents have recently rescued. On February 20th, a 4-year-old boy’s life was saved after he fell into a hotel pool in Plymouth, Minnesota. DHS said federal agents responded when a woman called for help for her drowning child. After several minutes of CPR, the child regained consciousness and was taken to a local medical center, authorities said.
Online comments on the DHS video showing the March 25 response by ICE officers ranged from celebratory to derisive. One commenter posted, “And the Democrats claimed ICE would start killing people at airports.” “Probably staged,” another posted.
Another commenter added, “While we respect the rescue, we can have a separate discussion about agency policy.”
Mike Snyder is a national trends news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, and X, and email him at: mike snyder & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
