Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed Sunday evening that U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be deployed to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport beginning Monday morning, as the ongoing partial government shutdown continues to strain TSA operations nationwide.

Newsweek reached out to Dicken's office via email on Sunday for additional comment.

The Context President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that ICE agents will be sent to airports across the country to assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) amid the ongoing partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

TSA officers haven’t been paid since the DHS partly shut down on in February, after Democrats balked at funding the agency and demanded changes to immigration enforcement following the fatal shootings of U.S.

citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis in January.

The deployment carries particular significance given where it is happening.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest and most efficient airport in the world — and the first airport ever to serve more than 100 million passengers in a single year.

With 80 percent of the U.S.

population within a two-hour flight, Atlanta offers nonstop service to more than 160 domestic and 80 international destinations, connecting travelers to major commercial centers across Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, and South and Central America.

Why Haven't TSA Agents Been Paid? On February 14, Congress let funding expire for the DHS amid a disagreement over immigration enforcement.

The funding stalemate emerged as Democrats pushed for policy changes in response to the fatal shootings of Good and Pretti during a large-scale federal operation in Minneapolis earlier this year, while withholding support for DHS funding in the absence of such reforms.

Funding for DHS failed to advance in the Senate on Friday after Democrats declined to support a bill.

And in a rare weekend session on Saturday, the Senate rejected a motion by Democrats to take up legislation to fund the TSA.

Republicans argue they need to fund all of DHS, not just parts of it.

According to DHS, more than 300 TSA agents have resigned amid the partial shutdown.

Most TSA employees are classified as essential and remain on duty during the funding lapse but are working without pay.

Call-out rates have begun to increase at some airports, contributing to longer wait times at security checkpoints.

Airports across the country are reporting delays and are advising travelers to arrive earlier than usual.

What To Know Dickens said in the Sunday press release that officers from Homeland Security Investigations and ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations will be assigned to support TSA with line management and crowd control inside domestic terminals.

All federal personnel will report directly to TSA, and the mayor's office....