Brown Calls for ICE to Leave Cleveland Hopkins, Joins Democrats in Demanding Answers on ICE Deployment from White House

Cleveland, OH – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) has joined Democratic colleagues on a letter to the White House stating that “the Trump Administration must immediately withdraw ICE agents from all airports” and demanding answers on the purpose, duration, and planning behind Trump’s unprecedented decision to deploy ICE agents to airports last week. 

Brown joined House Democrats in a letter to DHS Secretary Mullin, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, and White House Border Czar Tom Homan. The letter was led by Congressman James “Chuy” Garcia (Il-04). Brown continues to support legislation to fund the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies that are following the law. 

“My message to Trump is simple: get ICE out of the airports and get ICE out of Cleveland Hopkins. Trump sending ICE to Cleveland Hopkins and airports across the country is unprecedented, counter-productive, and dangerous. And like Trump’s war with Iran, we don’t know how long this will last, what ICE will do next, or even what the purpose of this deployment truly is. Quite simply, this is not how federal agencies are supposed to function. Given no transparency from the White House, we are demanding answers,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.  

The text of the letter is copied below: 

Secretary Mullin, Acting Director Lyons, and Mr. Homan:

We write in strong opposition to the deployment of armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports around the country. This unprecedented and unnecessary action causes chaos and fear at our airports, fails to support Transportation Security Agency (TSA) workers—whose pay Republicans in Congress have repeatedly blocked— or reduce security lines, and serves as an intimidation tactic to coerce Congress into passing harmful, anti-democratic legislation.

No President has ever sent armed ICE agents to airports. They are not qualified to screen passengers or manage airport security, and their lawless actions around the country underscore that their presence will cause confusion and fear at some of our nation’s largest airports. ICE agents are already conducting immigration enforcement operations at airports. This includes violently detaining a mother and her young daughter at San Francisco International Airport the day after President Trump announced, “I look forward to seeing ICE action at our airports.” Deploying armed ICE agents to our airports all but guarantees that there will be more cruel and chaotic incidents.

This is an attempt to intimidate travelers and strong-arm Congress into passing harmful and anti-democratic legislation. We support funding TSA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and certain other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components while Congress negotiates necessary reforms to rein in ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). But President Trump and House Republicans are refusing to strike a deal unless Congress sends billions more to ICE and CBP and passes the dangerous SAVE America Act to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. This is a betrayal of TSA workers and their families, and an insult to travelers who are facing long security lines.

The Trump Administration must immediately withdraw ICE agents from all airports around the country. And to better understand the scope and rationale for this action, we request a response to the following questions by April 10, 2026:

1. Which airports are ICE agents currently deployed to, and how many agents are deployed to each?

2. Which additional airports, if any, does the Trump Administration plan to deploy ICE agents to, and how many agents would be deployed to each?

3. How long does the Administration currently intend to maintain ICE agents at airports?

4. Public statements by Mr. Homan indicate there was no plan for the deployment of ICE agents to airports; please provide a detailed accounting of when this decision was made, what inter-agency coordination occurred beforehand, and what operational plan (if any) exists now.

5. What coordination, if any, is DHS undertaking with state and local officials related to this deployment?

6. What evidence exists, if any, that security lines have become shorter since ICE agents were deployed to airports?

7. Please provide all policies, memoranda, and other documents related to the program whereby TSA agents provide travelers’ information to ICE for the purpose of immigration enforcement.

8. Does Secretary Mullin believe that ICE agents should be arresting children and their parents at airports?

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Sincerely,

[Signatures]

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