Journey nightmare deepens as Trump faucets ICE — Gavin Newsom slams ‘lawless’ transfer

Flight chaos returned to California on Sunday as large strains shaped at TSA checkpoints amid a spiraling funding disaster.

Passengers have been caught in two-hour waits at San Diego International Airport because the 40-day Homeland Security shutdown wreaked havoc throughout the nation.

It comes because the Golden State braced for a dramatic standoff over President Donald Trump’s plans to deploy ICE brokers to main terminals to fill gaps left by TSA brokers.

In an announcement to the California Post, Gov. Gavin Newsom referred to as for the immigration unit to be “reined in,” however wouldn’t touch upon what he’ll do if officers are despatched to California websites.

Meanwhile, TSA brokers have been livid over the plans, branding it “the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard yet.”

Passengers reported distress at San Diego International from 6.30 a.m. on Sunday as strains streamed by means of check-in and delays confirmed throughout the departure boards.

Pictures confirmed a whole bunch of flyers at a standstill throughout the foremost hub with many seen frantically texting whereas they waited to be ushered ahead.

San Diego Rep. Scott Peters claimed on X: “View from the San Diego airport at 6:30 this morning. It doesn’t need to be like this.

“I’ve a invoice to pay TSA employees, Coast Guard and emergency administration with out including extra to ICE and Border Patrol.

“Easy, right? But Trump won’t allow it. As the DHS shutdown drags into nearly 40 days, federal workers and travelers shouldn’t have to suffer from Republican inaction.”

Another traveler, Suajit, posted a surprising video of the bedlam, writing: ”San Diego Airport is a multitude proper now, terminal two delays as much as two hours and terminal one has only one TSA line with no pre-check.”

Ellissee Maio added: “Two-hour wait time at the San Diego airport this weekend. Wondering what it will be like on Monday with news of ICE filling in for TSA… bet it cuts in half.”

Flight Aware’s distress map additionally confirmed 174 delays out of San Diego Sunday, with 4 cancellations together with on Delta, Alaska and SkyWest.

Airport spokesman Nicole Hall stated: “Checkpoint wait times and flight scheduling are subject to the operations of our federal and airline partners.”

“These operations are, at times, affected by the federal government shutdown.”

She added: “We appreciate the ongoing commitment from TSA, FAA and our partner airlines to maintain the safety and reliability of the national transportation system during this challenging time.”

Other main hubs in California additionally confronted issues on Sunday, with each San Francisco and LAX exhibiting cancellations.

Thirty-seven flights have been late out of Los Angeles as of Sunday evening and 31 extra have been delayed out of San Francisco.

Despite the cancellations, TSA strains have been to this point clean out of LAX, with passengers shortly crusing by means of the airport checkpoints.

One flyer, Christopher Hochstuhl, advised The Post: “All I can say is… I don’t know… we’re the richest nation on the earth.

“You need to pay your workers. There’s no excuse for this. I don’t think there’s anything else that needs to be said.”

Another, Michiko Romm, added: “I am here to board a flight back to Chicago. I’ve been LA for the past week. And LA has been really cool. Saw some cool things.”

“So here I am at the airport, and I was expecting to see a lot of long lines, but right at the moment, as I’m staring right at the TSA check lane, it actually looks very, very reasonable, so I am hopeful.”

LAX tends to undergo much less TSA chaos as a consequence of higher infrastructure contained in the terminals, extra funding, and 30 automated screening lanes that speeds passengers by means of.

Data launched on Sunday confirmed greater than 3,250 TSA officers referred to as out nationwide on Saturday — the worst absentee fee for the reason that partial Homeland Security shutdown started and brokers began going unpaid.

The mass exodus accounted for 11.51% of the scheduled workforce, leaving already-strained safety strains much more susceptible to meltdown.

The worst impacted airports throughout the nation have been Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson Airport, Houston, New York hubs and Philadelphia.

More mayhem is predicted to influence Californian websites later within the week as Trump plans to deploy ICE brokers to make up for the shortfall.

The president posted on Truth Social on Saturday: “On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all.”

The president didn’t reveal what airports he’ll goal particularly, however, with the delays starting at California hubs on Sunday, the state seemed to be bracing for his or her arrival.

White House border czar Tom Homan added: “I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an x-ray machine — because you’re not trained in that — [but] there are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them in the specialized jobs to help move those lines.”

Newsom reacted furiously to the information on Sunday, claiming to The Post that Trump was “deploying his personal police force.”

He stated: “By sending ICE into airports, Trump is proving the problem in real time: ICE has become the president’s lawless, under-trained, personal police force, deployed to serve his agenda — not the law. That’s exactly why it needs to be reined in.”

When pressed by The Post about what he’ll do if ICE brokers are despatched to Californian airports, the governor didn’t reply.

Despite the chaos on Sunday, San Diego TSA brokers additionally chimed in with Newsom, with its head of operations branding the transfer “ridiculous.”

Robert Mack advised NBC7: “Absolute shock because that’s just the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard yet out of this.”

He continued: “My duty is still the same, but at the end, if I can’t put food in my stomach, I can’t keep a roof over my head, the people I’m supposed to be taking care of are failing me.”

TSA lead transportation safety workplace on the airport Aaron Vazquez added to the Times of San Diego: “I have no idea how they can contribute at an airport unless it was for intimidation purposes.”

He continued: “I don’t need them wherever close to the checkpoint and officers that I’m accountable for. I don’t need them interfering with what the officers are attempting to do.

“I don’t need an ICE agent telling passengers what to do. We are trained to be nice to passengers. They are law enforcement so they are armed. TSA is not.”

He added: “[ICE agents] can monitor visitors of the passengers to ensure they don’t get out of line or undergo the stanchions.

“I don’t understand what we need help with if it’s not people that are able to screen the passengers.”

Thousands of flyers suffered throughout the nation over the weekend as flights have been canceled and delayed and big strains shaped at dozens of TSA checkpoints.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the worst should be forward: “I think you’re going to see more TSA agents, as we come to Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week, they’re going to quit or they’re not going to show up.”

He added: “So I do think it’s going to get much worse.”

---

Download The California Post App, observe us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters