Homan: ICE could still be installed at airports after TSA funding
Border Patrol Agent Tom Homan said ICE agents sent to assist the TSA during staffing shortages may stay on the job even longer.
Airports across the country are reporting a return to normalcy as Transportation Security Administration employees begin receiving paychecks.
“We know the last few days have been difficult,” Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport wrote in a post on X on Monday, March 30. “The usual fast and efficient checkpoint operations we are known for are back to normal starting today.”
As of 4 p.m. ET, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport all reported standard security wait times starting at less than five minutes, while wait times were longer at other airports.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, March 27, redirecting federal funds already earmarked to the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA workers as airport security wait times swell after weeks of partial government shutdowns. But this is only a temporary solution, and long-term funding still requires approval from lawmakers during their scheduled recess.
“At the direction of President Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Mark Wayne Mullin, TSA has immediately begun the process of paying its employees. TSA employees should begin paying their employees as early as today,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Lauren Biss said in a statement to USA TODAY, thanking both TSA and DHS for putting money back into the pockets of TSA employees working without pay.
How many TSA agents made the call?
According to DHS, TSA’s deployment rate reached an all-time high on Friday, March 27, at 12.35% of its staff. As of Sunday, March 29, before they started receiving paychecks, there were still 10.59%, or 3,101 police officers.
The ministry shared the following callout rates for each airport on Sunday:
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) – 38.5%
- Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) – 36.4.%
- Houston William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) – 34.1%
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) – 34.1%
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) – 33.7%
- New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – 29.6%
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) – 23.4%
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) – 23.0%
- New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) – 22.9%
How far in advance should I arrive at the airport?
Travelers should contact each airport for arrival times.
Both BWI and ATL have resumed advising travelers to arrive two hours before their scheduled departure time, although international flights may take longer.
How to check airport wait times
TSA hasn’t consistently updated its MyTSA app during the partial closure, but travelers can check wait times at major airports on USA TODAY’s TSA tracker, which updates every 10 minutes.
Additional wait times may be found on each airport’s website or social media.
Third-party sites such as Airport Insight and TSA Wait Times also provide wait times.
(This article has been updated with new information.)
