President Donald Trump stated that no funding deal for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should be made until the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is approved. The remarks came during a phone call with NewsNation correspondent Hannah Brandt, who asked how long Trump plans to keep U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stationed at airports amid ongoing DHS funding disputes. Trump replied, “For as long as it takes.”

Over the weekend, Trump suggested deploying ICE agents to airports to handle security and apprehend illegal aliens if Democrats do not agree to fund DHS. According to Brandt, Trump said the proposal prompted Democrats to seek a deal, but he reiterated that no agreement should be finalized without approval of the SAVE Act.

On Truth Social, Trump expanded on his position, saying he would not negotiate with what he called “Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats” unless they support the legislation. He emphasized the bill’s provisions, including voter ID requirements, restrictions on mail-in voting, all-paper ballots, citizenship verification to vote, and bans on transgender participation in women’s sports.

Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), have suggested separating funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from broader DHS appropriations, citing operational challenges. The issue has been intensified by long TSA lines at airports nationwide as spring break travel increases. TSA employees have been working without pay since the partial DHS shutdown began on February 14.

DHS reports that over 400 TSA employees have resigned since the shutdown, with nearly half of them having more than three years of experience and a third over five years, further complicating staffing and security operations at U.S. airports.