Hundreds of Federal Air Marshals sent to guard Trump's ICE flights instead of usual role on passenger jets: report [View all]

Source: The Independent

Thursday 31 July 2025 23:08 BST


Roughly 200 Federal Air Marshals have reportedly been reassigned from their usual duties protecting the U.S. transit system to assist with Trump administration deportation flights alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Marshals, the main law enforcement arm of the Transportation Security Administration, better known for missions like protecting U.S. commercial flights, are instead carrying out tasks on deportation flights like providing security, handing out sandwiches to detainees, checking them for lice, and cleaning plans, CNN reports.

The reported deployment has proved controversial within the Marshals community, with the Air Marshals union praising the mission, while a lobbying group for Air Marshals argues it distracts from the agents’ core function and sees the Marshals acting as glorified security guards for government contractors that manage some flights.

The group, the Air Marshal National Council, has filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security inspector general’s office, and has warned the new mission could “undermine aviation and national security and expose federal officers to unsafe and improper working conditions.”

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ice-flights-air-marshals-b2799983.html