As travelers deal with hours-long waits at U.S. airports due to lack of funding for TSA and other Homeland Security agencies, President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary is claiming Democrats want to “destroy” the lives of ICE agents in an effort to keep as many illegal aliens as possible in America.
“You can thank a Democrat” for the lines, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel. “Don’t hold America hostage to just get what you want.”
NEW: Line to get into the Austin airport goes out the door and down the street due to staffing issues because of the Democrat DHS shutdown.
35,000 passengers are expected to travel at the Austin airport on Friday.
“The staffing levels that are affected are going to be those… pic.twitter.com/ybSAEGwnds
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 13, 2026
“The reason you have such long lines is because TSA is looking at everybody who comes through the line. They’re not shortchanging it because they have less people. The line is long because they have less people and it takes longer to actually screen them. So it’s not impacting safety and security at the airport. It’s just your time at the airport.”
.@SecDuffy says TSA workers, who’ve now missed a partial and full paycheck as a result of the Democrat shutdown of @DHSgov, are picking up other jobs to pay bills:
You’re seeing 3-4 hour lines at airports. My hope is that Democrats will come to their senses, open up DHS. pic.twitter.com/QknYdWYRgu
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 15, 2026
“But going back to Democrats, you know what they really want? They want to make sure ICE agents take off their masks. Why? So they can dox them, they can harass them. They can go to their house, to their children, to their spouses and harangue them. That’s really what they want to have happen.”
“They want to make sure they can destroy the ICE agents working for the government, working for the American people to keep you safe. They want to destroy their lives. That’s their mission because … they want all these illegals – whether good, bad, violent, radical – they want them all in our country and they’ll do all they can to make that happen.”
Duffy indicated it’s still Trump’s priority to deport “the bad hombres” from U.S. cities.
“And by the way there’s a lot of them,” he noted. “We’re shocked in these different cities that ICE goes to the number of bad people that are there. It’s shocked even me how many bad people we find who have committed crimes whether they’re sexual assaults, murders, rapes robberies, killing people in their cars. That has to stop.”
Despite the current travel disruptions, Duffy sounded a tone of optimism.
“We’re gonna get through this,” he said. “I think Democrats are gonna come to their senses. Look at Sen. [Elissa] Slotkin from Michigan where there was a synagogue attack. She voted every time against funding DHS. And once the threat to her community was real from radicals, now she says let’s open up DHS.
“I think it begs the question: Are Democrats waiting for Americans to get hurt, to get killed before they actually put your security before those who have come to this country unlawfully and illegally? I hope that’s not their position. But we can get to a better place if they would just come to their senses and negotiate after they open it up.”
Are Democrats waiting for Americans to get hurt or killed before they make YOUR security a top priority?@SenatorSlotkin voted EVERY TIME against funding @DHS. And now that an attacker tried to kill Jews at a synagogue in her home state of Michigan, she’s ready to fund Homeland… pic.twitter.com/YyDhOlydAO
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 15, 2026
As Operation Epic Fury continues against Iran, Duffy also said oil tankers will likely get insurance soon.
“I do think you gonna see a place where we do give insurance to the vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. … We’re ready on the insurance front. That’s ready to go. It’s Gen. [Dan] Caine making an analysis when is it safe to do those escorts. Could be a day could be a week.”
“Once we get a little more clarity on the security risk,” Duffy added, “we’re gonna have not just the U.S., but our partner countries … help with the escorts. When those escorts and we have the insurance, you’re gonna start seeing oil flow.
“We’re able to have this fight with Iran only because President Trump and his American dominance initiative to bring oil prices down allowing us to absorb their shock. But President Trump said it’s gonna be four to six weeks in this fight. We’re only two weeks in and Democrats are losing their mind. Let this play out. Let’s win and bring security and safety to the economy and to the region and to the world.”
Follow Joe on X @JoeKovacsNews
