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The arrival of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Dulles International and Reagan National airports could affect Northern Virginia far beyond the security checkpoints they are being sent to support.

ICE agents were deployed as a partial federal government shutdown strained the Transportation Security Administration, the agency normally responsible for airport security. TSA employees have gone unpaid since Feb. 14, contributing to staffing shortages, resignations, sick calls and long lines at some airports. The administration says ICE personnel can help fill the gap and improve airport efficiency.

At Dulles, however, the need for that assistance remains unclear. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said the airport had not experienced major operational disruptions or longer security waits before ICE arrived. Its most significant recent delay occurred March 14, when a chemical odor raised safety concerns.

The deployment nevertheless introduces an immigration-enforcement agency into one of the nation’s most diverse regions. Census Bureau figures show that 25% of McLean residents are foreign-born, more than 1.5 times the national rate. In Herndon, near Dulles, the share rises to 42.2%.

For immigrant families, ICE’s presence at local airports may create fear even if agents initially remain focused on security support. That anxiety could also reach businesses. A UC Merced study found that private-sector employment across California declined after ICE operations in June 2025, while some restaurant owners reported sales falling by nearly 40% as immigrant customers stayed home.

The deployment could further complicate ICE’s strained relationship with local governments and police departments. In January, Arlington County officials advised residents to call 911 if they witnessed ICE operations in their neighborhoods. Because local officers routinely patrol airports, contact between county police and federal agents may be difficult to avoid.

That proximity risks weakening trust between police and immigrant communities. Fairfax County investigators depend on residents to report crimes and assist with cases. When distinctions between federal immigration officers and local police become unclear, people who fear enforcement may hesitate to seek help.

Tom Homan, the administration’s chief immigration official, has said ICE will retain an enforcement role and pursue criminal activity. That raises the possibility that agents stationed at airports could become involved in immigration operations rather than serving only as temporary TSA support.

Protests are also likely to draw local police into crowd-control duties and additional patrols, even where departments are barred from assisting ICE directly. Such demands can increase public costs while deepening mistrust. In Los Angeles, police spending associated with maintaining order during ICE operations reached nearly $17 million per week.

Using ICE does not address the underlying problem: TSA employees are working without pay. Democratic lawmakers should examine ways to redirect available federal funds to support those workers, while congressional Republicans should accept stronger limits on ICE so a funding agreement can move forward.

The partial shutdown itself followed public outrage over the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two citizens shot by ICE. Sending the same agency into Northern Virginia’s airports risks extending that controversy into communities that may bear costs well beyond the terminals.