ICE agents deployed to airports to ease long TSA lines amid staffing shortages, but their impact on delays remains uncertain.
by AUSTIN DENEAN | The National News DeskImmigration and Customs Enforcement agents patrol Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, 2026 in New York City. on Monday after waiting times at security stretched beyond four hours in some places.
Call-out rates for TSA workers, who haven’t been paid since February, reached a high of nearly 12% on Sunday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.The staffing strains stem from an ongoing funding lapse for DHS, which has left TSA workers unpaid since February and driven rising call-out rates. The Trump administration made the move amid a standoff with Senate Democrats on a deal to fund DHS, which has been shut down for more than a month. Democrats have voted against bills restoring full funding to the department six times, while Republicans have repeatedly rejected proposals to fund every agency in DHS aside from ICE and Customs and Border Protection. White House border czar Tom Homan framed the plan as an effort to alleviate long lines that have caused frustrations for travelers during a busy period for spring break trips. ICE agents are being sent to large airports with the longest wait times, where they are expected to help with support roles like crowd control and monitoring passenger flow. But sending immigration agents to airports is not a direct substitute for TSA agents, who are specifically trained to operate screening equipment and conduct security procedures. ICE personnel cannot perform functions like X-ray screenings, bag checks or pat-downs. “At this point, we really don’t know what they are ultimately going to do,” said Jeff Price, a professor of aviation management at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “If they are conducting immigration enforcement at the document checkpoints, then the lines will surely backup.” President Donald Trump suggested airports were “fertile ground” for immigration enforcement, though he and other officials say they are focused on easing congestion. Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that agents would help cover security points to allow TSA agents to handle more specialized jobs. “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,” he said. “We’re simply there to help TSA do their job in areas that don’t need their specialized expertise.” ICE personnel were visible at airports in Atlanta, Chicago and New York on Monday and Tuesday. Wait times at most airports have eased with lower volume during the week, but are anticipated to pick back up once the weekend rush hits. Airports with higher call-out volumes are still experiencing long lines, including Houston’s George Bush International where waits were four hours on Tuesday.“The longer this goes on, the worse it will get, both in terms of passenger waiting periods and screening effectiveness. Wait times increase because personnel consolidate to staff fewer screening lanes, and there will be more call offs as time goes on,” Price said. The American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents TSA officers, blasted the decision on ICE agents and said putting untrained personnel at checkpoints “does not fill a gap. It creates one.” “Our members at TSA have been showing up every day, without a paycheck, because they believe in the mission of keeping the flying public safe. They deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be,” AFGE national president Everett Kelley said in a statement.“When you have a situation like we do today where DHS is not funded and the traveling public are being impacted with pretty long wait times in some selected airports, several hours in fact, you just don’t want to sit on your hands and say ‘well that’s the scenario,’” former acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf told The National News Desk. Critics of using ICE agents have also voiced concerns that their presence could make airports less safe because of public backlash to the administration’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration. There are also fears that placing immigration agents, who are still being paid due to extra funding passed in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, next to unpaid TSA workers will add to frustrations.With another busy travel weekend approaching, lawmakers and the White House may be nearing a deal to fund most of DHS and get TSA workers back on the job. Republican senators left a meeting at the White House Monday with a proposal to fund DHS with exclusions for ICE, but negotiations are still delicate and facing significant hurdles, raising the chance of another chaotic weekend at airports.Vice President JD Vance is swinging through Texas for a fundraising trip that will take him to Austin and then on to Dallas. Vance is here for a Republican NatiPolice have arrested a 59-year-old man in connection with a series of stalking and window peeping incidents, Austin police said.Anthony Golden was arrested FridThe Austin Police Department has identified the victim of a homicide that occurred Sunday evening near the Mueller area in East Austin.Austin police are investiA mistrial was declared on the first day of jury selection in the deadly conduct case against Daniel Perry, according to court sources.The decision came after nOne person is dead and two others are injured after a two-vehicle crash on FM 969 Sunday evening, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.Troopers re
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