Here's the latest
• ICE agents deployed: President Donald Trump said ICE agents will head to US airports Monday, placing border czar Tom Homan in charge of the effort. Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” that agents would be there to release Transportation Security Administration officers from “non-significant roles,” but Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy offered a seemingly conflicting plan Sunday with a broader role for ICE agents.
• Shutdown stalemate: There are few signs lawmakers will reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security before Friday and ahead of a scheduled recess for Congress. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans are “hitting pause” on funding talks while waiting for Democrats to respond to the latest offer.
• Travel woes: Travelers were warned to expect worsening airport wait times as TSA workers go without pay after funding for DHS lapsed in mid-February. Half the nation’s busiest airports had more than a third of agents call out, and one traveler said it took her three hours to get through security at LaGuardia Airport in New York. You can track wait times at major airports here.
Not all airports are dealing with long security lines
While many airports across the country are grappling with disruptions, some are not experiencing long security lines on Sunday.
Nashville International Airport posted a video on social media showing light TSA lines, with the caption: “TSA checkpoint lines are operating efficiently, keeping passengers moving.”
US flight attendants unions demand pay for TSA workers, citing safety concerns
Flight attendant union leaders representing more than 100,000 employees are demanding pay for TSA workers amid the partial government shutdown, citing safety concerns about the planned deployment of ICE agents at airports and a lack of security in general.
“Flight Attendants will not allow the TSA and the frontline Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) who keep us safe to be used as pawns in this dangerous game, nor will we fly in an aviation system that doesn’t put our safety and security first,” the unions said today in a joint statement.
The ICE agents being sent to airports do not have the same training TSA officers have and work six months to get, the unions pointed out.
It is unclear what duties ICE agents will be asked to perform.
“Pay the people who are already trained to protect us from terror attacks today, especially as the war with Iran increases the desire to strike against Americans,” the statement added.
ICE to be deployed at US airports as hundreds of TSA workers quit amid shutdown. Here's the latest
More than 400 Transportation Security Administration officers have quit since the ongoing partial government shutdown began a month ago over disputes about funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Senate lawmakers continued negotiations today with many eager to pass a bill before Easter recess begins at the end of this week.
Starting tomorrow, federal officials say Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be deployed to US airports where travelers have had to wait in long security lines due to a shortage of workers.
Here’s the latest:
- TSA callouts: More than 11% of TSA workers called out on March 21, according to DHS, their highest number nationwide since the shutdown started. For six straight days last week, TSA callout rates hovered above 9%, according to a TSA spokesperson.
- ICE deployment: Immigration officers will be sent to US airports on Monday, with border czar Tom Homan leading the effort, President Donald Trump announced today. Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” agents would be there to release TSA officers from “non-significant roles.”
- Contradicting plans: Meanwhile, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy appeared to suggest a broader role for ICE agents, citing their experience handling similar screening equipment at border checkpoints.
- Funding talks stall: Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Republicans are waiting for Democrats to respond to an offer from the White House as they race to strike a deal before a planned holiday break. Earlier in the day, lawmakers were making “some headway” in talks to reopen DHS, Thune told reporters.
Inside one JFK terminal, long lines but little panic as travelers wait and help each other through
As travel disruptions ripple across the country, the crowd inside Terminal 5 of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York struck a surprisingly calm and steady mood — if a 45-minute security wait can be called steady.
Timing is everything. Travelers who arrived early shuffle forward with patience. Those who didn’t are easy to spot — checking the clock and asking others if they can squeeze ahead.
JFK’s website estimated a 27-minute wait, but in reality it took 45. At Terminal 5, no TSA PreCheck line is in service. Instead, some airlines offered a paid priority line option — JetBlue charges $25 — roughly half the length of the general line.
One frustrated woman confronts a weary TSA employee, asking what’s wrong and is told bluntly, “Because of the government shutdown.”
“That’s such a scam,” she says angrily and marches off.
Eight lines stretch across the terminal. People pass the time comparing flight times. When one traveler says her flight is in 40 minutes, a woman kindly moves aside and lets her cut: “Well, go!” she says.
Off to the side, eight passengers in wheelchairs wait together. It wasn’t clear when they would be brought forward. One elderly gentleman in the group anxiously tells an agent his flight leaves in less than an hour.
A traveler named Roe, heading back to her family in Arizona, grows nervous despite having three hours before departure. She takes no chances and asks a stranger for help paying the priority line fee.
Small moments cut through the stress. A young boy traveling to Palm Beach with his grandmother greets everyone in line, one by one, drawing smiles from travelers who, moments earlier, were visibly tense.
A brief interruption cuts through the monotomy of the line — flashing lights and an ambulance wheeling a passenger out on a stretcher. Minutes later, a TSA agent leans into the ear of another and says another passenger needs medical attention.
But the line keeps moving.
Thune "hitting pause" on DHS funding talks while awaiting Democrats' response
Republicans are waiting for Democrats to respond to an offer from the White House as they race to find a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security before a planned holiday break.
“We’re hitting pause for a minute, and everyone’s collecting themselves and figuring out where they want to be,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Sunday afternoon.
A bipartisan group of Senate appropriators was going to meet with White House border czar Tom Homan Saturday but the plan was called off as Democrats continue preparing to counter the White House’s latest offer in the DHS funding negotiations.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins said it was “very disappointing,” telling reporters, “They were supposed to come with an offer last night, and instead they canceled the meeting altogether. So I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Homan met with senators twice at the end of last week after the White House put forth a proposal with several measures to rein in immigration enforcement but did not include Democrats’ demands to require agents to remove masks and require judicial warrants for immigration arrests.
GOP Sen. Katie Britt noted by Sunday evening it will have been 48 hours since the last bipartisan meeting with Homan, so “I certainly hope that we do something by then.”
Some of America’s largest airports had more than a third of TSA agents call out Saturday
Airports across the country faced their highest number of TSA workers calling out yesterday as they continue to work without pay, leading to hourslong wait times in the country’s busiest airports.
More than 11% of TSA workers called out on March 21, according to the Department of Homeland Security, their highest number nationwide since the partial government shutdown began a month ago over disputes about funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Half the nation’s busiest airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport had more than a third of agents call out. At William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, nearly half of agents did not show up to work.
It comes at a time when TSA workers have not been paid, leading to some calling out in protest while others show up to work, receiving food assistance from food banks as lawmakers on both sides continue to blame each other for the shutdown.
LaGuardia travelers wait 3 hours to get through security: "I've never seen it like this in my lifetime"
Photos captured travelers waiting in lengthy security lines at New York’s LaGuardia Airport today.
Emily North told CNN it took her three hours to get through security. At one point she even waited outside the terminal.
“It was a really bad wait – people were starting to get extremely nervous and upset towards the end,” North said. “One person near me had to rebook going to a different airport because there were no free seats on flights to their destination left that day.”
At one point, North said, someone in line shouted to those behind, “Who wants to trade places for $500?”
“They almost made a deal before a TSA officer stepped in and stopped it,” she said. North said she missed her original flight and managed to get the last seat on the next plane to Chicago.
“Lots of people are running out of options to rebook on later flights today and I don’t know what they’ll end up doing,” North said.
Jen Porter also said it took her three hours to get through security.
“I’ve never seen it like this in my lifetime,” she said.
Deploying ICE agents to US airports is "asking for trouble," Schumer says
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called President Donald Trump’s vow to send federal immigration agents to airports Monday “disturbing” in Sunday remarks on the Senate floor, warning their presence would only heighten the travel woes for flyers amid the partial government shutdown.
“ICE agents, who are untrained and have caused problems everywhere they’ve gone, lurking at our airports — that’s asking for trouble,” Schumer said. “And it will certainly make the chaos at our airports worse.”
Trump threatened on Saturday to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents if lawmakers failed to reach an agreement to reopen the Department of Homeland Security.
In the weeks since funding lapsed at DHS, which also includes TSA, security checkpoint wait times at some airports across the US have soared, and TSA officers are working without pay.
“So I have an idea for Donald Trump: instead of sending ICE agents to harass travelers at airports, why doesn’t Trump get his act together and agree to pay TSA workers, and get Senate Republicans to do so?” Schumer said.
Mullin’s DHS nomination clears procedural vote amid TSA shortage
Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin is one step closer to leading the Department of Homeland Security after the Senate voted today to advance his nomiation.
Two Democrats, Sens. John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich, crossed party lines to advance the nomination, with Fetterman signaling last week he was open to considering Mullin for the position.
A final vote could happen early this week.
Some background: President Donald Trump announced early this month that he was firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and tapping Mullin, a first-term senator from Oklahoma, to replace her.
Mullin’s nomination comes at a crucial time for DHS, which has been ensnared by a partial government shutdown amid a debate over federal immigration enforcement. Transportation Security Administration workers, under DHS, haven’t been paid due to the shutdown, leading to reduced staffing and long security lines for travelers.
Trump administration officials offer conflicting plans in rush to deploy ICE to airports
As the Trump administration moves quickly to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports tomorrow, officials are offering conflicting statements about what function ICE will perform, raising questions about the implementation of the plan.
Border czar Tom Homan, tasked by President Donald Trump with overseeing the rollout, said ICE agents are not qualified to handle security lines, emphasizing they lack training. Instead, he said, they will be assigned to posts like exit gates to allow TSA officers to focus on checkpoint operations.
In contrast, when asked about practical experience of ICE in managing airport security lines, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy appeared to suggest a broader role, citing ICE agents’ experience handling similar screening equipment at border checkpoints.
“They run those same type of security machines at the southern border, right? Packages come through or people come through. They run similar assets,” Duffy told ABC News’ “This Week.”
“We have ICE agents who are trained and can provide assistance to agents,” Duffy said.
Homan said planning discussions are underway with hopes details will be finalized this afternoon.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Transportation for clarification of Duffy’s comments but it referred CNN to DHS.
Passengers at Newark International Airport relieved wait times are short — for now
Passengers traveling through Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal A were relieved to find short wait times ahead of their travel Sunday afternoon, with some of them telling CNN they arrived hours before their scheduled flights, worried they’d face long lines.
Paul Adkins, who was heading home after attending a weekend wedding in Manhattan, said he arrived at the airport much earlier than usual.
“I was a little nervous there might be a multi-hour wait, so we headed over here and now it looks like we might have a little extra time in the airport,” Adkins said.
As of Sunday afternoon, TSA wait times are hovering at less than 10 minutes inside Terminal A, the largest terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport.
While some TSA checkpoints remain closed and blocked off behind a metal gate, passengers could be seen moving quickly through the functioning security stations.
Passengers were sympathetic to TSA workers, saying they understood why some of them were not showing up to their posts.
“I understand that, if they’re not getting paid that is one way to vote with your feet, by not showing up for work on the government to fix it,” Adkins added.
Tali Shalom, who arrived four hours ahead of her scheduled flight said her focus and concern was on security.
“It’s really frustrating and a really bad time to have this shut down right now, especially with the war going on where we really need security to be at an all-time high,” Shalom said.
“Now we have to worry about TSA not showing up to work and having the security we actually need.”
Senate Majority Leader: Some headway made in talks to reopen DHS
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said lawmakers were making “some headway” in talks to reopen the Department of Homeland Security but warned things could get “pretty bad” if a deal isn’t reached in the coming days.
“We’re making some headway. But, you know, the question is, do the Democrats really want to fund it?” Thune told reporters on Sunday.
“Deploying ICE agents to airports is sort of a last resort, but it’s also, I think, indicative of where we are,” he said.
Asked about Sen. Ted Cruz’s suggestion he could be open to funding TSA before passing a bill to fully reopen DHS, Thune acknowledged, “There are lots of ideas swirling right now.”
Thune is meeting in his office at the Capitol with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, as well as Sen. Katie Britt, another top GOP appropriator.
Thune and Britt both told reporters they hoped to meet with White House border czar Tom Homan after a bipartisan meeting was postponed on Saturday, though it’s not clear if an in-person meeting will happen on Sunday.
CNN reported earlier GOP and Democratic senators planned to continue negotiations over ICE demands in a push to end the DHS shutdown by the end of the week, when Congress is scheduled to leave town for a two-week Easter recess.
Democrats had been reviewing an offer made by the White House on Friday and are expected to respond with a counteroffer as soon as Sunday, a source told CNN.
Federal workers union warns ICE agents “have shown how dangerous they can be”
The union representing TSA officers is fiercely pushing back against plans to deploy ICE agents to airports, warning the move could put passenger safety at risk.
American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley said in a statement Sunday, “Replacing unpaid TSA workers with ICE agents is not a solution, but a dangerous escalation.
“ICE agents are not trained or certified in aviation security,” Kelley said, stressing that TSA officers spend months developing highly specialized skills to detect explosives, weapons and sophisticated threats designed to evade screening. “You cannot improvise that.”
Kelley warned that inserting untrained personnel into security roles “does not fill a gap,” but rather creates one as airports nationwide already grapple with long lines and staffing shortages during the ongoing shutdown.
The comments come as more than 50,000 TSA employees have gone without pay for over five weeks, with hundreds quitting amid mounting financial strain, according to the union. “And Washington’s answer isn’t to pay them. It’s to send ICE agents to do their jobs,” Kelley said.
Kelley urged Congress to act immediately, saying lawmakers have the power to fund TSA and end the disruption.
“Congress has the power to fund TSA today. It’s time for them to stop playing politics and do their jobs,” he added.
Airports and communities rally to support TSA workers with donations amid shutdown
Airports and surrounding communities have rallied in recent weeks and days to support TSA staff who have been working without pay due to the partial government shutdown that began in mid-February.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina is organizing a gift card donation drive to support its TSA workers, accepting grocery and gas gift cards near the security checkpoint or at a second location in the community.
“TSA remains essential to ensuring safe and efficient travel at CLT. Their work allows passengers to maintain their travel plans and helps sustain the airport’s safety culture,” the airport said in a statement. “Continued community support makes a meaningful difference as officers carry out these responsibilities under challenging circumstances.”
Similar efforts are underway at airports around the nation, with international airports in Denver, Portland and Texas seeking gift card or meal donations for their workers in recent weeks.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport started a food pantry for its TSA workers affected by the shutdown, accepting donations of nonperishable food, hygiene items and diapers. Boxes of donated shelf-stable food and baby wipes could be seen stacked in the airport’s conference center last week, in images the airport reposted on X.
Vance says ICE will “bring sanity" to airports, calls funding standstill "preposterous"
Vice President JD Vance accused Democrats on Sunday of holding the TSA “hostage,” amid the ongoing government shutdown while expressing gratitude that the White House will deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tomorrow to bolster security and support the TSA during nationwide staffing shortages.
“We’ve all seen the chaos unleashed by Democrats at airports across the country. It’s preposterous that Chuck Schumer continues to hold TSA funding hostage,” Vance posted to X.
“Thankfully, ICE will bring sanity to our airports starting tomorrow, but it’s far past time for Democrats to fund DHS,” he added.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, a key progressive voice in the Democratic caucus, accused Republicans of holding TSA “hostage” today.
“They want to hold TSA hostage so that they can continue getting Democrats to fund the illegality happening at ICE. Let’s just isolate our difference. Let’s not hold TSA hostage any longer,” Murphy said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
CNN’s Alison Main contributed reporting
ICE agents at airports will put lives at risk, House Democratic leader says
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries sharply criticized plans to deploy ICE agents to airports during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” warning the move will put people’s lives at risk.
“The last thing that the American people need are for untrained ICE agents to be deployed at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or, in some instances, kill them,” Jeffries said. “We’ve already seen how ICE conducts itself.”
Border czar Tom Homan said ICE agents could be sent to airports as soon as Monday to help with security at entrances and exits as the pressure increases on TSA officers, many of whom have been working without pay during the ongoing shutdown.
But Jeffries said placing ICE officials in “highly sensitive situations” they are not equipped to handle is a dangerous move.
Jeffries also accused Republicans of allowing the crisis to escalate, saying it’s “unfortunate” lawmakers would force TSA agents to work without pay, disrupt travel for millions, and “potentially expose” passengers to untrained personnel rather than reach an agreement.
“Our basic premise and value proposition from the very beginning has been simple, ICE should conduct itself like every other law enforcement agency in the country, but if Republicans are unwilling to get to an agreement in that regard, the one thing we can do immediately are to make sure that TSA agents are paid,” Jeffries said.
More than 400 TSA officers have quit since start of shutdown, DHS says
More than 400 TSA officers have quit since the start of the shutdown, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Union leaders said some TSA workers chose to quit and many others have taken unscheduled time off since they cannot afford gas or child care needed to go to work.
For six straight days last week, TSA callout rates hovered above 9% — with a record 10.22% absentee rate set on Monday, according to a TSA spokesperson — as employees continue working without pay.
Not all airport security is handled by TSA
Some airports have been largely untouched by the effects of the latest shutdown. At 20 airports in the US, security screening is handled not by TSA but by private companies, and their checkpoints are not seeing long lines.
Airports like San Francisco International, Kansas City International, Orlando Sanford, and 17 smaller facilities participate in TSA’s Screening Partnership Program, which uses contractors at the checkpoints.
All private airport security operations remain under federal oversight and must comply with the same rules TSA agents follow. The companies do get to decide how many people to hire and what to pay them.
Keith Jeffries, former TSA federal security director at Los Angeles International Airport and current vice president of K2 Security Screening Group, said airports always have the choice to use private companies for screening. What happens at the checkpoint stays the same, Jeffries said, no matter who is operating it.
The security screeners with private companies “receive the same type of training as TSA,” he said.
Duffy warns more TSA agents will quit or not show up as funding impasse drags on
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Sunday that a prolonged shutdown could drive more TSA agents to call out or quit, inflicting further travel disruptions.
“If this homeland security funding isn’t resolved, I think you’re gonna see more TSA agents as we come to Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week, they’re gonna quit, or they’re not gonna show up,” Duffy told ABC News’ “This Week.”
TSA agents last week had to start working without pay. A record 10% of officers did not show up Monday, and DHS said more than 400 have quit altogether since the shutdown began.
Duffy said Friday that the hourslong security lines thus far amid travel chaos will look like “child’s play,” forecasting worse travel if the shutdown doesn’t end by Friday, which marks the next payday for TSA workers.
“I do think it’s gonna get much worse, and as it gets worse, I think that puts pressure on the Congress to come resolution,” Duffy added.
Asked if the administration is pleading with agents to show up for work despite missing paychecks, Duffy said, “I’ll say right now, yes, I’m asking for them to come in,” while acknowledging workers are facing financial strains.
“We’ve asked them to come to work. And you know, again, they make family decisions that are right on behalf of their finances. But we want them coming,” Duffy said.
Duffy also said TSA agents will receive back pay for missed paychecks, but did not provide details.
“They’re gonna get paid. They’re gonna get paid for all the time that was missed,” Duffy said.
Security line stretches to parking garage at New Orleans airport
The security line at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport stretched all the way to the parking garage Sunday morning.
Video shows travelers lined up in the crowded airport, some sitting on suitcases or the ground as they wait.
Karim Pine told CNN he’s been in line for over two hours and was told it would be another 40 minutes.
