by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 5:20 PM ET, Wed March 25, 2026
As the White House continues to refuse to pay TSA agents during the partial government shutdown, it has moved to using Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in several U.S. airports to cover some of the shortages caused by callouts and a shrinking pool of TSA agents able or willing to work without a paycheque.
Canadians travelling through some major U.S. airports (including Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport in Houston) will notice ICE at TSA checkpoints. Usually, the scope of ICE’s mandate is different from the TSA. As members are not trained for airport security tasks like TSA officers are, ICE is filling in for positions that require less specialized skill sets, such as monitoring exit lanes and checking identification at airport security checkpoints.
Federal officers, such those who work for Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, are a routine part of enforcement at American ports of entry, but they usually play a less-visible role and interactions with the general public are different from what they are presently with ICE.
“For Canadians, the rules haven’t really changed. Border officials still have very broad powers,” Mario Bellissimo, founder and policy analyst at Toronto-based law firm Bellissimo Law Group PC told Global News. “I think what’s really catching Canadians off guard a little bit isn’t the new rules, but the visibility of enforcement.”
Interacting with ICE at one of the airports where they are currently deployed may feel intimidating to Canadians who are used to dealing with Canadian law and border officials. Emotions may be heightened depending on how one views their actions and expanding role under the Trump government.
The National Immigrant Justice Center provides a guideline for dealing with ICE, and states that all individuals in the United States have rights, regardless of immigration status. That means if you are on U.S. soil you should have access to constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent when questioned or arrested by immigration officers. The organization counsels people to stay calm and not to “run, argue, resist, or fight the officer, even if you believe your rights are being violated or you are being treated unfairly.” Furthermore, it instructs people not to lie about their status or provide false documents.
Being denied entry to the U.S. is at the discretion of U.S. authorities. Global Affairs states that the Government of Canada “cannot intervene on your behalf if you do not meet entry or exit requirements for the United States.”
In advising Canadian travellers to the U.S., the travel advisory page states, “Individual border agents often have significant discretion in making those determinations. U.S. authorities strictly enforce entry requirements. Expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices. Comply and be forthcoming in all interactions with border authorities. If you are denied entry, you could be detained while awaiting deportation.”
“I go back to best practices. Be truthful, be consistent, be clear. If your intention is consistent on why you’re entering the United States and the documentation support that you’re going to be just fine,” Bellissimo said.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can reach out to the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C. or the consulates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco or Seattle for consular assistance.
People can also contact Canadian Citizen Services at [email protected] or 1-844-880-6519 during business hours, or in an emergency reach out to the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa. You can also call toll-free at 1-888-949-9993.
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