Even after President Donald Trump Ordered emergency fare relief for TSA agents Long security linesMajor U.S. airports on Sunday were still urging travelers to arrive hours early — and the federal immigration officers brought in to help may not be leaving anytime soon.
Trump Executive order The Department of Homeland Security on Friday ordered TSA officers to be paid immediately, though it is unclear how quickly travelers will see the impact. The move comes during a busy travel period, with the start of spring holidays and Easter and Passover approaching.
Tens of thousands of TSA employees have been working without pay since DHS funding expired on Valentine’s Day. The department’s closure reached 44 days on Sunday, exceeding that Record closing for 43 days Last fall that affected the entire federal government.
Trump Deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to some airports a week ago to help with security as TSA call-outs rose across the country — the same officers who may now remain in place if TSA staffing pressures continue.
It depends on how many TSA employees will return to work after they start receiving their paychecks, White House border official Tom Homan said during his rounds on Sunday morning news shows.
“ICE is here to help our brothers and sisters at TSA. We will be there as long as they need us, until they get back to normal operations and feel like those airports are safe,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homan said it also depends on how many TSA agents “have already resigned and don’t have a plan to return to work.” Nearly 500 TSA officers have left the agency since the shutdown began, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
On Saturday night, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in an
In his interview with CNN, Homan said he hopes TSA officers are as well Paid on Monday or Tuesday.
“It’s good news because these TSA officers are suffering,” Homan said. “They can’t feed their families or pay the rent.”
Also on Sunday, Charlotte Douglas International Airport said in a post on X that late payment may arrive for TSA customers starting Monday.
“While this action provides critical relief, the CLT supports this Long term solutions “To ensure continued stability for this essential workforce,” the airport said.
Johnny Jones, treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees, TSA chapter, said Sunday that he has heard from workers concerned that they may not receive their full back pay because the TSA was given too short a deadline to start processing payments. He also said TSA agents worry they might miss out on pay for time they couldn’t work because they couldn’t afford to report for duty.
“It’s an ongoing disaster,” Jones said.
Some of the busiest US airports continued to ask travelers to plan ahead in order to pass security lines.
Houston’s main George Bush Intercontinental Airport warned Sunday evening that TSA wait times could reach four hours or more. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport also asked passengers to arrive at least four hours early for domestic and international flights.
LaGuardia Airport posted an alert Sunday evening on its website that “TSA lines are currently longer than usual.”
Baltimore-Washington International Airport said Sunday on Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans provided the same guidance.
Also on Sunday, passengers were again able to see estimated security wait times at the three major airports serving the New York City area – LaGuardia, JFK and Newark Liberty.
The three companies removed this feature from their websites earlier in the week, citing “rapid” changes in passenger numbers and TSA staff. For the same reason, they cautioned that restored wait times do not always reflect current conditions.
It’s hard to know.
Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who runs a travel newsletter called Gate Access, said the staffing crisis won’t improve significantly until officers are confident they won’t be subject to further paychecks.
“There has to be an extended fare until they come back or want to stay there,” he said, estimating that the long lines could continue for another week or two.
Jones, the TSA union leader, offered a more optimistic outlook Sunday, saying he hopes passengers will be able to see wait times approach usual levels once workers can afford basic expenses like gas to get to work.
TSA will also have to decide whether to reopen checkpoints and security lanes that it closed or consolidated at some airports due to insufficient staffing, which resulted in passengers standing in screening lines that clogged check-in or show-up areas. Too early For their trips.
A group of airports have seen daily TSA officer call rates of 40% or higher in recent weeks.
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Sedensky reported from New York, Yamat from Las Vegas, and Raby from Charleston, West Virginia. Associated Press journalist Julie Walker contributed from New York.