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.”
• Shutdown stalemate: The move follows Trump’s warning a day earlier that he would deploy ICE agents if lawmakers failed to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But there are few signs the impasse will break soon on Capitol Hill before Friday — the next payday for TSA workers — and ahead of a scheduled recess for Congress.
• Travel woes: Travelers were warned to expect worsening airport wait times this weekend as Transportation Security Administration workers go without pay due to a partial government shutdown that began in mid-February. You can track wait times at major airports here.
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.
ICE deployment to airports expected to help TSA "do their mission,” border czar says
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deploying to airports Monday will assist with security at entrances and exits to ease TSA’s workload amid a partial government shutdown, border czar Tom Homan told CNN.
“This is about … helping TSA do their mission and get the American public through that airport as quick as they can while adhering to all the security guidelines and the protocols,” Homan said on CNN’s “State of the Union with Dana Bash” on Sunday.
“We’re simply there to help TSA do their job in areas that don’t need their specialized expertise, such as screening through the X-ray machine,” Homan said.
Asked about logistics and the number of ICE officers being deployed, Homan said planning discussions were happening Sunday in coordination with the heads of ICE and TSA, adding that details can be expected Monday.
Read more of Homan’s comments on “State of the Union with Dana Bash” here.
Talks over DHS shutdown expected to continue today as GOP awaits Democrats' counteroffer
Republican and Democratic senators plan to continue negotiations over Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a push to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security by the end of the week, according to a person familiar with the talks.
Democrats had been reviewing the White House’s Friday offer and are expected to respond with their own counteroffer as soon as Sunday, the source said.
Two of the big sticking points remain whether to require judicial warrants for immigration enforcement actions and whether to require ICE agents to remove their masks — both key Democratic demands the White House has been resisting.
Senators are eager to wrap up talks and pass a bill before Easter recess begins at week’s end, meaning a deal needs to be reached within the next couple of days to begin the legislative process in order to meet that timeframe.
Only four TSA lanes open at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta
Security lines at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport stretched even longer Sunday morning, with only four of 18 Transportation Security Administration screening lanes open – half the number operating just a day earlier.
The general boarding line spilled past the atrium and restaurant area, looped around baggage claim and snaked back through the terminal, as overwhelmed travelers waited for hours to clear security.
Scenes inside the airport underscored the strain: One woman was escorted out by police after appearing to suffer a panic attack, while another traveler had to sit down after feeling ill. Others used their carry-on bags as makeshift seats as the line crawled forward.
Travelers described shock and frustration. “We thought we would be safe enough, but … it’s just insane,” said Olivia Wanner, who is from Minnesota and arrived at 4 a.m. ET for a 7:30 a.m. flight.
Ava Yablonski, a traveler from Boston, told CNN she has “never seen anything like this before.”
Others said even arriving hours ahead of time wasn’t enough. “I got here three hours (early) and I’m still in this line,” said Ramses Díaz.
Henry Perez said confusion made things worse: “People were not available to direct you … I have no idea whether we are going to make it.”
His message to Washington: “We need to pay these people … They gotta come to an agreement.”
Not clear how Trump sending ICE agents to airports would be helpful, TSA officer says
It’s not clear how deploying ICE agents to US airports would help TSA officers, as it takes weeks to become certified to do security screening, said George Borek, an Atlanta TSA officer and union steward.
“What it takes to be a TSA officer, a certified officer, to be able to do screening takes weeks and months to do,” Borek told CNN. “The president can have them come there but I don’t see how that helps us in getting through this time period.”
TSA officers have to be recertified even after taking medical leave for 30 days, Borek said. “If you bring people in there, they are not trained, they don’t know what they’re looking for, then certainly it could be a problem.”
“We’re at a crossroads this coming week,” said Borek, citing the next pay period on March 27 as TSA officers are increasingly stretched thin.
“My heart goes out to the fellow officers I work with because every day we hear the same stories: Don’t have money for gas, don’t have the ability to get there … Childcare, no food,” he said. “We’re at the breaking point.”
If the partial government shutdown does not end by the next pay period, the situation “is going to be a lot worse in the weeks to come” as fewer TSA officers come to work, Borek said.
Borek said he won’t be surprised if people wait three to four hours to get through security on Sunday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“I am actually apologizing to passengers as they come through,” he said.
Trump puts Homan in charge of ICE airport deployment as Democrats push back
President Donald Trump said Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be sent to US airports on Monday, with border czar Tom Homan leading the effort. The move comes as Democrats voice strong opposition and a partial government shutdown continues to strain airport operations.
“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA Agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the Radical Left Democrats, who are only focused on protecting hard line criminals who have entered our Country illegally, are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long ago agreed to with signed and sealed contracts, and all,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“But watch, no matter how great a job ICE does, the Lunatics leading the incompetent Dems will be highly critical of their work. THEY WILL DO A FANTASTIC JOB. The great Tom Homan is in charge,” Trump added.
The announcement follows Trump’s warning a day earlier that he would deploy ICE agents if lawmakers failed to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security, as TSA workers continue to go without pay and delays mount at airports nationwide.
The ongoing shutdown has contributed to staffing shortages among TSA officers, leading to long lines and unpredictable wait times. Lawmakers from both parties have been working to strike a deal to reopen DHS, but a resolution remains uncertain.
It is unclear what role ICE agents would play at airport checkpoints, as they are not trained in TSA screening procedures, which typically require weeks or months of preparation. Experts and union representatives have warned that bringing in untrained personnel could create additional challenges, though agents could assist with limited tasks such as managing lines or directing passengers.
