Where things stand
• Airport woes: Travelers are facing agonizing wait times due to growing callouts from Transportation Security Administration officers who haven’t been paid since mid-February. In Houston, travelers have been warned they could be waiting for more than four hours, and Atlanta has stopped posting wait times altogether because its computer system is not designed for lines this long.
• ICE deployed: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were sent to 14 airports yesterday, including some of those hit hardest by TSA staffing shortages. The White House’s border czar said that number could expand.
• Elusive funding fix: Top Republican lawmakers have indicated their party is unified behind a plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security and begin paying TSA officers again after a White House meeting last night. Key Democrats said they were pleased with the direction, even without knowing all of the details.
Travelers waiting 4 hours at Houston’s IAH pack an underground tunnel
Mammoth lines of weary travelers snaked through an underground tunnel and stretched as far as the eye could see at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. And they hadn’t even reached a terminal yet.
Passengers looked exasperated, frustrated and frantic as they packed a walkway next to the subway tram that typically runs between terminals. As they waited, a dismal warning blared over the speakers:
“Due to the federal government shutdown, TSA wait times are currently exceeding four hours,” the announcement said. “If your flight is departing soon, you may not clear security in time. Please consider contacting your airlines now for rebooking options.”
One passenger arrived yesterday for an 11 a.m. flight and waited over two hours – only to miss his flight. He rebooked his trip for this morning and then rebooked again once he was in line.
The sun has yet to rise in Atlanta and long security lines are already forming
Long security lines are already forming at Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport this morning, with a line of passengers snaking through baggage claim and filling much of the atrium near the airport’s main checkpoint, according to video from CNN affiliate WANF.
CNN reported yesterday that Atlanta has stopped posting estimated wait times because its computer system is not designed for lines that extend beyond security checkpoints. The airport’s website recommends passengers allow “at least 4 hours or more” for security screening.
ICE agents have been sent to airports to ease TSA staffing strain. Here’s what we know
Airports across the United States continue to see security lines stretch through terminals, atriums and, in some cases, outdoors as growing numbers of Transportation Security Administration officers call out while working without pay during the partial government shutdown.
In an attempt to ease the strain, the Department of Homeland Security has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to some of the hardest‑hit airports.
Here’s where things stand:
- ICE deployed nationwide: ICE agents were sent Monday to 14 airports across the country, White House border czar Tom Homan said, as 61,000 TSA employees remain on the job without pay. A DHS official said “hundreds” of agents deployed but declined to detail numbers at specific airports “for operational security reasons.” Homan signaled deployments would expand, saying, “You got 14 right now, and there will be more.”
- Unclear roles: ICE agents – who are being paid – have been seen unmasked walking through terminals and standing near exits, but it was at times unclear what tasks they were assigned. Homan said the agents will assist with simpler tasks, ideally freeing up more TSA employees to perform critical and specialized security work.
- Callouts surge: More than 400 TSA officers have quit during the shutdown and thousands have called out, DHS said. Absentee rates have topped 40% at some major airports, including Atlanta and New Orleans. 11.76% of TSA officers nationwide called off work Sunday, the highest rate of the shutdown that started more than a month ago.
- Funding talks: After a meeting at the White House, top Senate Republicans believe their party is unified behind a plan to restore full DHS funding. Details remain unclear – including whether Democrats would support any deal. President Trump has insisted he will not sign a funding measure unless it includes his long-sought voter ID bill.
Top Senate Republicans coalesce behind plan to end DHS shutdown
Top Senate Republicans believe their party is unified behind a plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. Now, they need to sell the plan to Democrats.
Republican lawmakers emerged from a White House meeting on Monday night with a plan to fund DHS — all except a small portion of the immigration enforcement budget, in a concession to Democrats. Then, once that’s passed, Republicans plan to muscle through a partisan bill without Democratic votes to fund the rest of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency — as well as new policies in President Donald Trump’s long-sought voter ID bill.
That plan, which was described to CNN by a person familiar with the talks, has not yet been accepted by Democrats. But key Democrats said they were pleased with the direction, even without knowing all of the details. And the top Senate GOP spending leader, Sen. Susan Collins, told reporters she was “optimistic we’re on a good track.” While Trump had previously rejected a similar idea, Republicans now feel the president is on board, that person and another source familiar said. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Tracking current TSA wait times at select major airports
CNN is tracking TSA security wait times at 16 major airports across the United States, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver.
Officials said yesterday that the TSA wait times tracker is down at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The wait times computer was not designed to work outside the security checkpoint and cannot properly track the large number of people currently at the airport, general manager Ricky Smith said.
