Tsa screening lines stretched for hours on Monday as ICE agents were deployed to major US airports to help fill gaps created by thousands of security staff refusing to work amid a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The absence of paid Transportation Security Administration employees has left passengers facing long waits at checkpoints in cities including Atlanta, New York and Houston. The deployments are intended to relieve overwhelmed gates and free trained screeners to focus on aviation security as the standoff continues.
Tsa support and roles
White House border tsar Tom Homan said hundreds of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were deployed to multiple airports to provide support roles, including crowd control and checking identification, not to operate screening machines. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said ICE personnel would “help support” staff in non‑specialised security functions so TSA officers can concentrate on aviation screening. Homan added that ICE would not be directly involved in screening passengers.
Queues, absences and airport strain
Lines spilled out of screening areas in several hubs, with one airport’s security loop observed at 9: 00am ET stretching from the staging area to the curb. Thousands of TSA employees have gone without pay since the partial DHS shutdown began on February 14, and unscheduled absences surged; more than 3, 400 agents called out of work on Sunday and hundreds have resigned. At some airports, more than one‑third of staff called out sick on the same day and officials warned travellers to arrive three or four hours early. The Department of Homeland Security said wait times became so long that some travellers were “sleeping in the airport” to avoid missing flights, and a letter signed by over 100 airport leaders warned the disruptions were “growing, and potentially long‑lasting. “
Immediate reactions and what’s next
President Donald Trump commented on operational details of the deployment, declining masks for the agents at airports in order to present a different public appearance. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said the guest agents were expected to be a “force multiplier” by handling non‑specialised tasks while TSA focused on screening. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the situation was “going to get much worse” before it improves. Passengers voiced frustration: Dr Paul Brown, president and dean of the Phillips School of Theology in Atlanta, shouted “Pay these people!” during a prolonged wait; Tom Healey of Alpharetta described the scene as “total chaos” after hours in line; and traveller Karan Ghura said he had been in line since before dawn and had already missed a flight.
Officials emphasised limits to what the deployed immigration agents can do and stressed that screening remains a specialised TSA function. With staffing gaps continuing and airport leaders urging an immediate end to the shutdown, the immediate focus is on stabilising checkpoints and restoring regular pay for screeners. Airport operations and passenger delays will be monitored closely in the coming days as agencies finalise numbers and assignments for the deployed agents.
What happens next will hinge on whether the shutdown ends and whether additional operational measures are authorised; airlines and airports are preparing for continued disruption while tsa staffing and deployment details are finalized.
