Long Airport Security Lines Prompt ICE Deployment Amid Government Shutdown

Mon Mar 23 2026 23:23:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

ICE agents are deployed to assist security efforts at major U.S. airports as TSA employees go without pay and call in sick during an ongoing government shutdown.

The deployment of ICE agents to major U.S. airports aims to mitigate severe security delays caused by a lack of TSA staff. Thousands of TSA agents are absent due to not receiving pay during the ongoing government shutdown since February 14, leading to significant wait times for travelers. The White House reported that hundreds of ICE agents are now at airports to support the TSA as concerns rise over operational disruptions across the aviation sector.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have deployed to major airports across the country, helping to fill the void as thousands of security staff who are going without pay refuse to work.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are increasingly absent, having not received pay in weeks due to a partial government shutdown that began on 14 February.

Their absence has created huge queues and hours-long wait times at airport security checkpoints. More than 3,400 TSA agents called out of work on Sunday.

On Monday, White House border tsar Tom Homan said hundreds of ICE agents had been deployed to 14 airports in cities including New York, Atlanta, and Houston.

Photos of the agents showed them at New York's John F. Kennedy airport and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, among others. However, they were not wearing masks or face coverings as they have done elsewhere. President Donald Trump commented, I'm a big believer that they should be able to wear masks when they go and hunt down, you know - murderers, criminals, and others, but requested the agents remove their masks for airport duties, stating it was not an appropriate look.

At Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, 42.3% of TSA staff called to say they would be absent on Sunday, and at Hartsfield-Jackson, 41.5% of staff called out, according to figures obtained by CBS.

Airline passengers at some airports were advised to arrive at least three to four hours early due to expected delays, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reporting long wait times have led some travelers to sleep in airports to avoid missed flights.

More than one-third of staff called out sick at three other airports the same day, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

In a letter to Congress, over 100 airport leaders expressed their deep concern about the growing operational disruptions and urged lawmakers to take action to end the shutdown. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl stated that ICE agents would assist in non-specialised security functions to allow TSA agents to focus on aviation security.

Furthermore, with Trump suggesting that ICE agents could make arrests, concerns have been raised by civil rights organizations regarding the adequacy of their training and the potential for racial profiling.

As the funding standoff between Democrats and Republicans remains unresolved, TSA and other DHS employees will continue to go without pay, with TSA agents also set to miss their second paycheck, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the situation.