DHS Sends ICE to Major Airport Hubs to Support TSA During Spring Break

Overview

• DHS has begun deploying ICE personnel to help TSA at hubs including Atlanta, JFK, Newark, Chicago O’Hare, Houston Intercontinental and Phoenix, where connection points are seeing crowd-control bottlenecks.
• ICE staff are handling ID checks, line management and exit-lane posts, and they are not operating X-ray scanners or performing technical screening.
• Orlando International Airport is not on the deployment list, and the local airport authority says it has received no notice of ICE in the terminal.
• The stopgap follows a six-week funding lapse that left more than 50,000 TSA officers unpaid, pushed call-outs to about 12%, and led to several hundred resignations.
• Travel outlets are urging flyers to arrive up to four hours early and to use tools like MCO Reserve and lighter carry-ons to reduce delays.