Trump is sending ICE agents to airports. How has Bellingham been affected?
Since the partial government shutdown began in February, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents in airports nationwide have been working without pay, and 366 agents had quit their jobs as of March 16, according to The Department of Homeland Security.
As this impacts airport across the country, President Trump has deployed ICE agents starting Monday to airports reportedly to assist TSA during the shutdown.
So how are these major changes impacting Bellingham’s airport?
According to Matt Rodriguez, director of aviation at Bellingham International Airport, “at this time, there are no ICE agents assisting TSA operations,” Rodriguez wrote in a March 23 email to The Bellingham Herald.
As of 10:30 a.m. PST on March 23, ICE agents have been deployed to only 14 airports across the country, according to CNN:
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston
- William P. Hobby Airport in Houston
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
- Chicago-O’Hare International Airport
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
- Philadelphia International Airport
- Pittsburgh International Airport
- Southwest Florida International Airport
- John F. Kennedy International Airport
- LaGuardia Airport
- Newark Liberty International Airport
- Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Government shutdown and Bellingham TSA
Rodriguez said Bellingham International Airport has experienced “minimal disruptions” related to the current government shutdown.
“The local TSA workforce serving BLI remains fully operational, and we have experienced only minimal disruptions related to the government shutdown. Security screening operations continue to function normally, and wait times have remained consistent with typical conditions,” Rodriguez told The Herald.
“At present, we have not observed any significant impacts locally, such as increased absenteeism among TSA personnel. While there have been reports of challenges at some larger airports nationwide, those conditions have not materialized at BLI,” Rodriguez said.
Bellingham International Airport is at 4255 Mitchell Way in Bellingham.
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 10:53 AM.
