As a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues, airports continue to struggle with long lines.
The shutdown, which first started on Feb. 14, 2026, was due to disagreements in Congress on how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a branch of DHS, should be funded. As a result, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is also part of DHS, has lost some funding, causing some TSA agents to be furloughed and more to work without pay.
Since then, security checkpoints at many airports, primarily staffed by TSA agents, have seen significant delays. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, security lines reached over four hours at the peak of the shutdown, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
However, according to Ian Petchenik, the director of communications at Flightradar24, flights have not been significantly disrupted.
“Throughout the shutdown, we’ve seen longer lines at TSA checkpoints, but no overall effect on the number of flights,” Petchenik said. “We have anecdotal evidence of some flights being delayed to accommodate delayed passengers, but nothing systemic.”
This marks a major difference from the full government shutdown last October, when many flights were canceled due to a lack of air traffic controllers.
To address long airport lines, President Donald Trump announced on March 21, 2026, that he would send ICE agents to assist TSA at airports.
“I saw a couple of ICE agents when I was traveling. They were walking around and patrolling the area,” said Matthew Edwards, a sophomore at Carlmont High School.
According to Cable News Network, the agents are helping TSA by monitoring exits and assisting with crowd control, rather than performing tasks such as X-ray screening.
However, some people have expressed concerns about the use of ICE in airports.
“It’s a bit scary to think about sending ICE agents to airports, considering what’s happening in the news. It’s definitely something to take note of,” said Neilson Chien, a sophomore at Carlmont High School.
Even so, some airports, such as San Francisco International Airport (SFO), have been less affected by the shortage of TSA agents. Edwards, who traveled domestically recently from SFO, described his experience.
“SFO has its security contracted out, so it was a quick, easy experience, traveling out. It was very different from what I’ve heard about other parts of the country, where lines reached two, three, or four hours long,” Edwards said.
Because of the shutdown, some cities are also considering private security at their airports. Atlanta’s city council has introduced proposals to switch to private screeners at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which has been significantly impacted by TSA disruptions. Private security firms already handle screenings at 20 airports around the country and must adhere to strict TSA requirements.
Still, the disruption in airport security, which has already reached the two-month mark, continues on. In early April, Trump ordered the government to pay TSA agents, but the order only covered wages up to mid-April. The situation remains uncertain, with TSA also losing around 400 workers during the shutdown, according to the National Broadcasting Company.
With the World Cup being held in North America this summer, questions are being raised about how the shutdown could affect travel to games in the United States.
“As we move into the summer season, we’re closely following any impact on flights from lengthy security queues,” Petchenik said.
