More than 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers have been working without pay at US airports for over five weeks, and today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will step in to fill the gaps left by a workforce that can no longer afford to show up.
Saturday marked the worst day yet. TSA data showed over 3,250 officers failed to report for duty, pushing the national callout rate to 11.51%, the highest since the partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown began on 14 February.
DHS confirmed more than 400 officers have quit since the funding lapse started, with nearly half carrying over three years of screening experience.
TSA Workers Can't Afford to Get to Work
The callout numbers tell a human story far beyond airport queues. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said last week that some officers are 'sleeping in their cars, drawing blood to afford to pay for gas to get to work.'
Many workers haven't recovered from last autumn's 43-day government shutdown, which ended just months ago. Kimberly Kraynak-Lambert, a trustee of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) union's Pittsburgh chapter, said officers in her region have applied for food stamps and at least one has been evicted. TSA staff are going without a full paycheque for the third time in six months.
Airports in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix, Denver, and Seattle-Tacoma are now collecting food and petrol gift cards for screeners. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is providing free meal vouchers for each shift. Even World Central Kitchen, a charity normally deployed to conflict zones and disaster sites, has begun feeding officers at Washington-area airports.
ICE Agents Aren't Trained for the Job
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday that ICE agents would deploy to airports starting today.
The deployment targets 14 major hubs:
- Atlanta: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
- New York City: John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
- New York City: LaGuardia (LGA)
- Newark: Newark Liberty International (EWR)
- Chicago: O'Hare International (ORD)
- Chicago: Midway International (MDW)
- Philadelphia: Philadelphia International (PHL)
- Phoenix: Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
- Houston: George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
- New Orleans: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY)
- Miami: Miami International (MIA)
- Orlando: Orlando International (MCO)
- Dallas: Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
- Los Angeles: Los Angeles International (LAX)
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed federal agents would arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson this morning for crowd management and to support TSA operations.
White House border czar Tom Homan told CNN the agents won't operate X-ray machines but could guard exit lanes and check passenger IDs to free up TSA officers for screening. DHS says it takes four to six months to train and certify a screening officer. ICE agents have not undergone that process.
AFGE President Everett Kelley said TSA officers 'deserve to be paid, not replaced by untrained, armed agents who have shown how dangerous they can be.'
Former TSA Administrator John Pistole told Axios the worst-case scenario involves an untrained screener missing a threat that allows a weapon onto a plane.
Spring Break Travellers Face Hours-Long Queues
The staffing crisis is hitting travellers during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Wait times at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson reached two hours on Friday. Houston Hobby Airport recorded a 55% callout rate on a single day last week. Philadelphia International has shut down three of its six security checkpoints due to short staffing.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the situation will deteriorate further. 'As we get into next week and they're about to miss another payment, this is going to look like child's play,' he told CNBC.
Congress Leaves Washington With No Deal
The DHS shutdown began after Democratic lawmakers demanded reforms to ICE following the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Five congressional votes to restore funding have failed.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans are 'hitting pause' on talks, and Congress is set to leave for a two-week Easter recess at the end of the month. ICE still has full funding after Congress allocated billions to the agency last summer. The screeners scanning bags and patting down travellers don't.
