Senators are discussing a proposal to end the Homeland Security budget stalemate by funding much of the department, including Transportation Security Administration airport workers who are going without pay. The deal would exclude U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s removal operations, which have been core to the dispute.
As U.S. airports remain jammed with long lines due to short staffing at TSA, Donald Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to provide airport security, alarming some lawmakers. At least 458 TSA officers have quit altogether, according to DHS.
DHS is now being overseen by Markwayne Mullin, whose nomination the Senate approved on Monday. Mullin has tried to present himself as a steady hand, saying his goal as secretary would be to get the department off the front page of the news.
Senators are drafting language on a potential agreement that would include funding for DHS agencies, such as TSA, but not enforcement and removal operations at ICE.
Pace picks up at some airports
At New Orleans Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport the lines moved quickly despite Monday’s chaotic queues
Estimated wait times removed from Atlanta airport’s website one of the world’s busiest and has been the scene of hours long waits to get through security in recent days.
At New York’s LaGuardia Airport security check-in lines were fairly short and seemed to move without delays. Many flights were cancelled two days after Sunday’s deadly collision between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck.
At least 300 inbound and departing flights at LaGuardia were cancelled Tuesday, and about the same number were delayed, according to the tracking site FlightAware.
At Philadelphia International Airport two TSA security checkpoints were temporarily closed, but passenger lines at the remaining checkpoints were moving smoothly wait times were under 10 minutes Tuesday morning.
Security lines appeared to be moving normally at O’Hare, with no obvious signs of delays. ICE agents were seen.
On Monday, Associated Press journalists observed ICE officers and agents patrolling terminals and lingering near long lines of passengers at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International, John F. Kennedy International in New York, Newark Liberty International in New Jersey, George Bush Intercontinental in Houston and Louis Armstrong International outside New Orleans.
A handful of other airports — including Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International — also confirmed ICE would be on-site.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said his office was monitoring the deployment of federal officers at O’Hare International.
No shows
Nationwide on Monday, nearly 11% of TSA workers who were scheduled to report for duty — more than 3,200 — missed work.
DHS figures show the callout rate at some major airports was three or nearly four times higher:
William P. Hobby International Airport in Houston: 40%
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: 37%
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston: 36%
John F. Kennedy International Airport: 34%
Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans: 35%
Baltimore-Washington International Airport: 30%
Some TSA PreCheck, CLEAR and priority lanes remain closed
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport confirmed that CLEAR and TSA PreCheck were not available at its checkpoints on Tuesday. The airport saw some of the most significant disruptions, with wait times for general screenings averaging about four hours as of midday.
Other airports have narrowed the availability of priority screenings.
Miami International Airport noted on its website that several of its priority and PreCheck lanes were also closed at certain checkpoints on Tuesday — but those options were still available at other entries.
Delta temporarily suspends special service for Congress members
“Next to safety, Delta’s no. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment,” Delta Air Lines said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The airline cited the “impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown” in its decision.
The airline’s congressional services typically include airport escorts and red coat services. The suspension means that members of Congress who fly with Delta will be treated like other passengers based on their SkyMiles status, the company confirmed.
Be prepared to wait.
Airport conditions have become increasingly unpredictable as the shutdown drags on, with staffing shortages driving uncertain wait times.
Complicating matters, the airport wait times listed in the MyTSA mobile app and third-party trackers may be outdated because TSA isn’t actively updating its websites during the shutdown.
Travel industry analysts recommend travellers check an airport’s website and social media feeds. Many airports have been posting timely updates and guidance on the social platform X, often including terminal-specific information.
Even so, conditions can change quickly. Travellers should check early and often, not just before leaving for the airport. Build extra buffer time into travel plans and have backup options in place, such as renting a car or flying out of nearby airports.
Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport suggested travellers should find a bathroom before getting into security lines, where the wait could last as long as four hours Tuesday.
The airport said lines could stretch down to the subway tunnel, which was “not designed for queuing and does not have restrooms or food options.”
Travellers headed to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in New York — as well as Newark Liberty International in neighboring New Jersey — still couldn’t check online TSA wait times Tuesday morning.
All three airports said this week that they had temporarily suspended the live security wait times they typically provide on their websites, due to “rapid” changes in passenger volumes and TSA staffing.
What’s being floated in the current DHS funding proposal?
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations would be funded, as well as Customs and Border Protection — but with new guardrails to position officers from those divisions in their traditional roles, rather than as they have been used more recently in immigration roundups.
It would also include immigration operations changes that Democrats have demanded, including mandating officers to wear body cameras and identification.
Since so much of ICE is already funded through Trump’s big tax breaks bill, and immigration officers are still receiving paychecks during the partial government shutdown, senators said the new restraints also would be imposed on operations that rely on that funding source.
Federal law enforcement officers are a routine presence at international airports. Customs and Border Protection officers screen arriving passengers, and Homeland Security Investigations agents conduct criminal inquiries tied to cross-border activity. But immigration agents are rarely visible at TSA checkpoints, the front line of domestic air travel.
“All I can say is that the discussions have been very positive and productive, and hopefully headed in the right direction,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters late in the evening: “Both sides are working in a serious way.”
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