An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent performed a Heimlich maneuver on a 1-year-old boy who stopped breathing in a crowded TSA line at JFK International Airport in New York on Thursday. The child resumed breathing after the intervention, and emergency medical services later cleared him to fly. The incident occurred amid ICE agents' deployment to assist TSA during a partial government shutdown.
At John F. Kennedy International Airport, a father holding his 1-year-old son noticed the child become unresponsive and stop breathing while waiting in a lengthy TSA security line on March 26. Screams from the father and nearby passengers alerted an ICE agent stationed nearby, who sprinted to the scene, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement and accompanying video footage released that day. The father handed the infant to the agent, who assessed the child and administered the Heimlich maneuver. Within seconds, the baby began breathing again. Emergency medical services personnel arrived with equipment, monitored the child, and determined he was healthy enough to continue his flight, according to DHS details provided to Fox News. DHS praised the agent's actions, stating, “This officer’s extraordinary bravery embodies the selfless service of DHS law enforcement.” The rescue highlights the role of ICE agents recently deployed by President Donald Trump to major U.S. airports to support TSA amid staffing shortages from a partial government shutdown affecting Transportation Security Administration employees. Trump commended the agents on social media, writing, “I am so proud of our ICE Patriots! They were unfairly maligned by the Lunatic Democrats for years, and now, at the Airports, in addition to what they are supposed to be doing, they are helping people with bags, even picking up and cleaning areas.” Travelers have reported positive interactions, including reduced wait times, agents handing out water, and assisting with navigation, as noted by Daily Wire reporter Jennie Taer at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
