- Many airports are still struggling with long wait times and urging travelers to arrive hours before their flights despite the Trump administration deploying federal immigration officers to some airports’ security checkpoints.
- Security checkpoint wait times at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport ranged from three and a half to four hours Tuesday morning. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International urged travelers to allow at least four hours for both domestic and international screenings.
- Baltimore-Washington International warned passengers to arrive three hours before their flights, noting that while wait times were “currently minimal,” that could change. Many TSA agents have called in sick or even quit their jobs due to financial strain after weeks of missed paychecks due to a partial government shutdown.
- The absences have forced some airports to close checkpoints at times, with wait times swinging dramatically. Senators are discussing a proposal to resolve the Homeland Security budget impasse by funding most of the department, including unpaid TSA staff.
- The proposed deal would exclude funding for ICE removal operations, which are central to the ongoing dispute. Senate leaders have described the ongoing negotiations as “positive and productive,” following a meeting between Republican senators and President Donald Trump at the White House.
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