Which airports will have ICE? Why TSA agents are not getting paid and wait times at BNA
With Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents set to appear in airports across the country to aid Transportation Security Administration employees, questions concerning pay for TSA agents and air traffic controllers as well as how much longer the partial government shutdown will continue remain largely unanswered.
As the five-week DHS-only shutdown continues, President Donald Trump recently announced that ICE agents will be deployed in airports to assist the understaffed TSA starting on March. 23.
On March. 22, DHS said that roughly nearly 12% of TSA officers (approx. 3,450) didn't show up to work, the highest rate of absentee agents since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, Reuters reported. Airports in Houston, Atlanta, and New York told DHS that more than one-third of their TSA staff had called in sick or were absent.
Why are TSA agents not getting paid?
In the past month, roughly 50,000 TSA agents have had to work without pay due to the partial government shutdown, and that continues to be the case, as the Senate has not reached a resolution on the DHS shutdown, reported USA TODAY.
March 13 was the first day TSA agents didn't receive their full paychecks. Travelers were expected to face TSA lines of up to nearly 3 hours long at some major airports, TSA said in a statement to USA TODAY March 10. .
"These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages," the statement continued.
Since the start of the shutdown, USA TODAY has reported that TSA agents have been facing significant financial hardship and even have resorted to sleeping in their cars.
"Numerous employees have reported to me that their bank accounts are at zero or negative," Johnny Jones, Secretary-Treasurer of AFGE TSA Council 100 and a Dallas-based TSA worker, told USA TODAY. "No funds for daycare, no funds for food. They just want to know why the hell they can’t get paid when we have money to shoot missiles into other countries."
Why is the government shut down?
A view of the U.S. Capitol building on March 2, 2026, after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran over the weekend.
On March. 20, the Senate failed to pass DHS funding legislation due to a 47-37 vote. This is the fourth time the Senate has failed to reach a vote on the matter. Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned that if no deal is reached this week, then the Senate's upcoming two-week recess would likely be canceled.
The Senate returns to vote on the matter on March. 23, but according to USA TODAY, the likelihood of the Senate reaching the 60 votes needed to pass the measure is low. Including partial and full shutdowns, the ongoing shutdown is the second-longest in history.
The Senate's failure to reach an agreement on DHS funding stems from lawmakers' inability to agree on immigration reforms related to DHS agencies, particularly ICE and CBP. The saga escalated after ICE fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the agency's occupation in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Which airports will ICE be in?
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
- Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico (SJU)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
How will ICE assist TSA?
Scenes from Southwest Florida International Airport on Monday, March 23, 2026. U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement are helping with TSA staff shortages.
ICE's occupation in US airports is being overseen by White House border czar Tom Homan. During an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," Homan assured the public that ICE agents will not be operating X-ray machines but will be "simply helping our fellow officers at TSA."
“There are roles we can play to release TSA officers from the non-significant roles, such as guarding an exit so they can get back to the scanning machines and move people quicker," Homan said.
How to check TSA wait times at BNA as shutdown continues
To check live TSA wait time updates, visit flynashville.com. Upon scrolling down, you can see a TSA wait times right on the homepage. Other sources providing live reporting on TSA wait times at BNA include TSAWaitTimes, On Air Parking, and iFly for BNA.
Beyond TSA updates, BNA's official site also updates travelers on parking, valet services, flight status, and ground transportation options. It's unclear at this time whether Nashville will be receiving aid from ICE.
"It is imperative that travelers understand that airports do not anticipate immediate impacts to day-to-day operations, as most Federal personnel working on-site are classified as exempt—or essential—and are required to continue reporting for duty without pay," BNA wrote on their website at the start of the government shutdown.
"Even so, a prolonged partial shutdown can still create operational strain for federal agencies and lead to broader economic effects within local and regional communities."
Reuters and USA TODAY assisted in this report.
Peter Burditt covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Which airports will have ICE? Why TSA agents are not getting paid and wait times at BNA
