ICE Agents Team Up with TSA for Airport Crackdown—Here’s How It Could Affect Your Next Flight

WASHINGTON — Facing the longest security lines of the year, the Department of Homeland Security has begun sending hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to more than a dozen U.S. airports to back up Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints crippled by staffing shortages during the ongoing partial government shutdown. Why ICE agents are at airports TSA reported a record 12 percent absentee rate on Sunday, equivalent to roughly 3,450 officers nationwide. With more than 400 resignations since mid-February, airports from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson to New York’s JFK and Newark Liberty have struggled to keep even half of their security lanes open. DHS says newly arrived ICE personnel are being used for crowd control, ID verification and line management—not for immigration arrests—because the agents do not yet hold the clearances required for passenger screening behind the checkpoints. Airports hit hardest • Atlanta: Over 40 percent of local TSA agents called out Sunday, prompting officials to warn travelers to arrive four hours before departure. • Houston, Baltimore, Phoenix and Cleveland all logged absentee rates above one-third, leading to snaking queues that stretched into baggage-claim halls. • New York City: Social-media videos show ICE agents patrolling near TSA podiums at both JFK and LaGuardia while officers check IDs. Political standoff fuels the crisis The shutdown stems from an impasse on next year’s DHS budget. House Democrats want guardrails on ICE enforcement tactics after several high-profile shootings, while Republicans refuse to fund TSA separately without broader changes to immigration rules. Until Congress acts, tens of thousands of TSA employees are working without pay and increasingly quitting or calling in sick, forcing DHS to tap ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents to keep airports running. What travelers should expect 1. Longer waits: Peak morning lines in Atlanta and Newark topped 120 minutes on Monday. Airlines recommend arriving at least three hours early for domestic flights and four for international. 2. Limited PreCheck lanes: Many airports have closed dedicated PreCheck or CLEAR lanes to free staff for standard screening. 3. Increased ID checks: ICE agents, wearing dark blue jackets, may be stationed in front of TSA podiums to validate boarding passes and driver’s licenses. 4. No immigration sweeps: DHS and local officials insist agents are “not there to detain undocumented travelers”; their authority at checkpoints remains limited to security support. Tips to cut your wait • Fly early in the day, before absentee peaks typically rise after 9 a.m. • Check airport social feeds for live security-line times. • Pack carry-on only to skip baggage counters, which have also seen staffing cuts. • Download your airline’s app and enable push alerts; many carriers are allowing free same-day changes away from the worst-affected hubs. What happens next Congressional leaders were scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon, but neither side signaled a breakthrough. If the shutdown extends into April, airline trade group A4A warns the Easter travel surge could see “five-hour waits at major gateways,” forcing carriers to cancel flights or cap ticket sales. Union leaders for both TSA and ICE say morale is cratering and warn that more resignations are imminent if paychecks do not resume this week. Bottom line Until lawmakers resolve the funding fight, ICE agents at airports will remain a visible reminder of how the government shutdown has spilled into everyday travel. Flyers should plan for unprecedented TSA delays, watch for updates from their departure airport, and give themselves extra time—just in case their security line is being staffed by an ICE agent instead of the usual blue-shirted officer.