Airport security delays in the middle of the partial period government shutdown have created weekend travel nightmares, with huge TSA lines choking terminals across the country, unpaid agents calling in increasing numbers and President Donald Trump promising to send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports to try to stem the tide of American angst.
“It’s insane”, a frustrated a passenger told CNN at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, considered the busiest airport in the world. “We didn’t think it was going to be this bad.”
“It’s chaos outside,” added another in videos posted on social media this weekend.
“We shouldn’t have to deal with this just to get on a plane,” said one The X poster is all the rage — a complaint that now reflects the mood at airports across the country as travelers absorb the fallout from Washington’s financial struggle.
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Atlanta’s airport, the world’s busiest, was grappling with long TSA security lines due to the government shutdown and understaffing. (Megan Varner/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The chaos is fueled by TSA’s growing staffing shortages during one of the busiest travel periods of the season due to spring break at schools and colleges. Agents are working without pay during the shutdown, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that absenteeism, resignations and tardiness are likely to worsen if the standoff continues.
More than 400 TSA employees have already resigned since the shutdown began on February 14, according to DHS.
The immediate concern for travelers, however, is much more fundamental: getting through the checkpoint before their flight departs.
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Among the most mind-blowing wait times and airport lines scenes reported this weekend:
Atlanta (ATL): reported 153 minute wait early Sunday, with lines described as wrapping around baggage claim.
New Orleans (MSY): a security line would have lying in the parking lot.
Houston (IAH/HOU): Some passengers reportedly had to wait up to two to three hours, with Hobby Airport particularly hard hit by staff shortages.
JFK (New York): Wait times climbed to 75 minutes Sunday morning after being much lower a day earlier.
Newark (EWR): Delays reached 44 minutes at points.
LaGuardia (LGA): Waits reached around 20 minutes, lower than other major hubs but still up from the previous day’s minimal waits.
Cincinnati (CVG): Estimates from third-party trackers showed waits approaching nearly an hour.
San Juan (SJU): Estimates from third-party trackers also showed waits approaching almost an hour.
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The overall national situation remains murky as official TSA tools are no longer reliably up to date.
“Due to the lack of federal funding, this website will not be actively managed,” a red alert atop the My TSA app reads Sunday. “Click here for more information”.
This link reveals that the data hasn’t been updated in over a month:
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“This website was last updated on February 17, 2026 and will not be updated until after funding is passed. Therefore, information on this website may not be up to date. Transactions submitted through this website may not be processed and we will not be able to respond to requests until appropriations are passed.”
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DHS said more than 10% of TSA agents have been called out for more than half of the past seven days, with some airports averaging no-show rates close to 20%. At Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, the rate reportedly climbed above 40% on some days. These no-shows forced lane closures, longer backups and wild swings in wait times from hour to hour.
For weeks, congressional Republicans have been sharing the story – complete with photos and videos of TSA security delays –thanks to a democrat.”
Trump even went so far as to call Democrats the “greatest enemy” Americans face as he continues to proclaim victory over Iran.
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“Now, with the death of Iran, America’s greatest enemy is the highly incompetent, radical left-wing Democratic Party!” Trump wrote Sunday morning on Social Truth.
Trump’s message follows his promise to send ICE agents to TSA security checkpoints at U.S. airports. Coincidentally, Democrats forced a Senate government shutdown to fund DHS due to alleged abuse of power by ICE agents in Democratic-run sanctuary cities and states.
But, as Trump and Republicans frequently remind their counterparts, ICE is already fully funded since last summer’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so defunding DHS does not achieve its stated goals.
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“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA agents who have remained on the job despite the fact that radical left Democrats, who are focused solely on protecting hard-core criminals who have entered our country illegally, are putting the United States at risk by withholding money that was agreed to long ago with signed and sealed contracts and all.” Trump wrote on Truth Social, hailing border czar Tom Homan as the fixer the TSA chaos urgently needs.
“But be careful, regardless of the excellent work done by ICE, the Lunatics lead incompetent democrats will be very critical of their work. THEY DO A FANTASTIC JOB. The great Tom Homan is in charge!!!”
Democrats blasted the idea, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, calling it “another reckless and lawless threat to misuse ICE agents,” and Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Miss., accusing Trump of “creating chaos at airports for political leverage.”
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the mess could get even worse, saying the current delays could look like “child’s play” if TSA staff missed another paycheck. Officials have even suggested that some airports could face more serious disruptions – or possible closures – if the staffing crisis continues to intensify.
For now, airports are asking travelers to arrive at least three hours in advance, even for domestic departures. But for passengers waiting in marathon lines, this advice sounds more like a warning than a comfort: The shutdown is no longer just a fight in Washington — it’s now a checkpoint crisis playing out in real time at airports across America.
“The current unpredictability is due to unpredictable staffing levels, essentially the number of TSA agents who show up for work on a given day,” said Sheldon H. Jacobson, a founding professor of engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an expert in aviation security and airport security screening. told Business Insider.
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“TSA officers have always been cross-trained to perform many different tasks, so the number that shows up is the key factor,” Jacobson said.
ICE agents are not specifically trained in airport security, the domain of the TSA, which has 65,000 employees, including 50,000 airport security officers. ICE has played a central role in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
“He seems to have no idea what limits are being placed on ICE, and I think America would be absolutely appalled to see ICE agents roaming airports, just as they are breaking down doors to homes,” Blumenthal told reporters in Washington.
Hundreds of TSA agents resign as shutdown continues Former Trump official Katie Miller joins “Mornings with Maria” to talk about the DHS shutdown, TSA disruptions and the political fight over border security, election integrity and the SAVE Act.
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Elon Muskthe world’s richest person, on Saturday offered to cover TSA salaries “during this financial impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports across the country.”
Homeland Security has historically shifted resources between agencies when there are staffing shortages during emergencies, said Stewart Baker, a DHS policy official in President George W. Bush’s administration. Keeping the TSA without paid staff creates “serious problems” for the agency, Baker said.
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Using ICE agents for airport security “may be slower than using trained people, but it would be better than having no one,” he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
