ICE agents are expected to leave Philly airport this week

Ariana Perez-Castells, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 8, 2026

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PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that were deployed to Philadelphia International Airport last month amid the Department of Homeland Security shutdown are set to leave as soon as Thursday.

Tracy Borda, the airport’s chief financial officer and interim CEO, discussed the ICE agents’ expected departure during a Philadelphia City Council budget hearing Wednesday.

“The good news is we’re at a point where we’re told that as of tomorrow, we won’t have any more ICE officers at the airport. They should be gone,” said Borda. “They’re not needed in Philadelphia, and my understanding is at this point, they’ll be gone tomorrow.”

Those in attendance at the hearing could be heard applauding.

ICE agents had been sent to PHL and other airports across the country during the DHS shutdown. TSA agents were expected to continue working through the shutdown without pay, so many called out, and travelers waited in long lines to pass through security checkpoints.

The ICE employees sent to PHL were “really well trained” and “very supportive of queue management,” reminding passengers how to go through the security checkpoint, said Borda.

Throughout ICE’s deployment to PHL, “we really had no issues,” Borda said.

Asked about the financial impact of closing down three security checkpoints during the shutdown, Borda noted that she was “not aware of any material impacts.”

PHL also closed a security checkpoints during the previous partial government shutdown which began in October 2025.

“Sadly, we’ve had to do this twice in the last year,” said Borda.

Throughout the recent DHS shutdown, Borda said, Philadelphia was not hit as hard as other airports with regard to TSA employees calling out and traveler wait times at security checkpoints. While the wait time hit 50 minutes at one point at PHL, she said, it hovered around 20 minutes typically. “You saw incredibly long wait times elsewhere,” she noted.

In her remarks to Council, Borda thanked TSA agents for continuing to work despite the shutdown.

“Federal employees at our airports have continued their hard work during the budget impasse,” said Borda. “We applaud these dedicated employees for their service to the PHL airport community and for doing an outstanding job keeping PHL wait times below the national average.”

Borda said she was not aware of any arrests being made by ICE at the airport.

Council President Kenyatta Johnson asked Borda what the airport has done to ensure immigrant employees felt safe with ICE agents around. Borda answered that she sent a letter to the all of PHL’s badged employees, which number more than 17,000, when she learned of planned ICE deployments, “to calm everybody’s fears.”

The letter, Borda said, conveyed, “we’re going to continue to do the job that we do every day, and we’re going to continue to do it really well, and we’re here for you.”

There was not a significant increase in the number of airport employees calling out of work during ICE’s deployment, she said. “We operated well during that time,” said Borda.

Proposed spending for PHL improvements

On Tuesday, the city’s Department of Aviation presented its $599.5 million proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year. It is looking to spend about $30 million more than it will this year.

The department manages PHL and Philadelphia Northeast Airport, and operates without local tax dollars. The department’s operating expenses are funded by revenue streams including aircraft landing fees, terminal building rentals, concessions revenue, and other facility charges.

The airport is focused on updating terminals and other facilities, advancing sustainability efforts, and the goal of connecting PHL to more international destinations, Borda said.

The new proposed budget includes attempts to “reduce friction in stressful areas, such as parking, security, construction zones, and arrivals,” in order to improve the experience of those navigating through the airport, according to prepared remarks. The department also plans to install additional electric vehicle chargers.

“We’re on the tail end of the busy spring break season and about to enter the busiest summer in our history,” said Borda.

An influx of visitors is expected in Philadelphia this year for the FIFA World Cup soccer games, the MLB All-Star Game, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, among other events. The airport has made upgrades in anticipation, allocating $500 million for improvements. Almost 85% of those improvements were complete as of March, according to the department.

“I’m confident you will be proud of the work our team has done,” said Borda.