Kansas City Airport Avoids ICE Agents

0:00Kansas City airport officials say they do not expect any federal immigration agents to show up at their terminals. This comes as the Trump administration rolls out US immigration and customs enforcement agents to airports nationwide to help with security lines. The plan follows President Trump's weekend announcement during the partial government shutdown. He wants ICE to assist transportation security administration screeners facing heavy backlogs at many locations. In Kansas City though, things look different. Local TSA workers are contractors from a private firm, so they have kept getting paid and stayed on schedule. That means wait times, there are much shorter than at other spots around the country. The bigger picture ties into ongoing battles over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers from Kansas and Missouri split along party lines in January votes, with Republicans backing the package and Democrats opposing it. A Republican state senator running for Congress in the area voiced strong support for sending ICE to the airport.

1:00For now, Kansas City seems set to avoid the extra agents while the shutdown drags on. I'm Cory with the story and you've been listening to Kansas News today, AI-powered local news.