As travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw security lines vacillate from excruciating to breezy Saturday, President Donald Trump offered a way to alleviate travel delays blamed on a partial government shutdown.
Trump, on the social media site Truth Social, suggested bringing in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers to fill gaps left by Transportation Security Administration employees. Some TSA agents have either quit or are simply not showing up to work since they stopped getting paid in mid-February.
The president’s comments come amid a congressional standoff over funding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again,” Trump wrote, “I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before.”
That move could come Monday, Trump said.
Democrats want reforms that would create more restraints on how ICE operates after fatal shootings of two protesters in Minnesota. For instance, they want requirements for ICE agents to clearly identify themselves and prohibitions against racial profiling. Republicans don’t find those changes acceptable, leading to a weekslong deadlock.
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s representatives did not have an immediate comment on the plan to involve ICE agents in airport operations. But the Democrat from Georgia called on Republicans to “stop blocking TSA funding.”
“Donald Trump’s obstruction is denying TSA workers pay and creating havoc at airports. While negotiations continue over ICE, there is no reason TSA should be held hostage,” Ossoff said in a statement provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A Georgia-based ICE spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment. The AJC also has reached out to U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, city and airport officials.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Early Saturday morning, the Atlanta airport website posted wait times of more than two hours at the main domestic checkpoint before receding to just 10 minutes by midafternoon.
Airports across the nation have struggled with long lines and TSA employee shortfalls. Friday brought the highest nationwide callout rate during the shutdown, according to a DHS spokesperson.
In Atlanta at the world’s busiest airport, nearly a third of TSA agents called out Friday, DHS said.
An estimated 350,000 people are expected to pass through Atlanta airport security checkpoints from Thursday through Sunday, according to officials. Saturday featured an influx of early spring break travelers.
Those headed to the Atlanta airport Saturday morning largely heeded advice repeated by officials over and over the last few days: arrive at least three hours before departure time.
Delta Air Lines is suggesting getting there four hours early for international flights although wait times at the international checkpoint were significantly shorter Saturday compared to the domestic side.
Early in the morning, a sea of travelers stood in lines that extended through the baggage claim area. Most were resigned to lengthy waits after seeing news about delays of up to three hours earlier in the week.
Britney Murray of Midtown, on her way with friends to Miami, typically likes to play with fire, often arriving at the gate just minutes before a flight departure. But she knew a friend who got stuck in a line so long early Saturday morning he missed his flight.
So at 10:45 a.m., Murray arrived at the North checkpoint for a 1:25 p.m. flight and shot a short video of herself in line. “This is bad,” she said, frowning. “I never come this early. Ever.”
When told she’ll make her gate with plenty of time to spare, she looked relieved: “I’m glad I listened to my friends.”
Carter Watson, a Georgia Tech senior, decided to get to the airport with his two friends four hours early for a spring break trip to Hawaii. He was rewarded with a relatively short 50-minute wait.
He acknowledged he’d stopped paying attention awhile back to all the reasons these delays are happening.
“I know there is a government shutdown,” Carter said. “I know TSA workers aren’t getting paid.”
At 10:30 a.m., George Kune, a Midtown resident on his way to Roanoke, Virginia, for work, asked an airport employee how long the line might take. When she said less than 45 minutes, he broke out into a celebratory mini-dance.
“My flight is 1:15 p.m. so I’ll have plenty of time,” Kune said. “But I hate what’s happening to the TSA workers. It’s horrible for them. Justice is not served. People can’t work for nothing.”
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Exactly how long you’ll end up cooling your heels depends on numerous variables and some lucky timing. Early morning between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. is typically among the airport’s busiest times.
Airport spokesperson Alnissa Ruiz-Craig told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution online wait times are manually updated so there may be delays between the posted wait time and current conditions, meaning times may spike and dip.
― The Associated Press contributed to this story
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
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