ICE Agents Help at Airports Amid TSA Pay Dispute

0:00It's March 26th. I'm Corey with The Story, and this is Canada News Today, local news powered by AI. Major U.S. airports are dealing with massive security delays from a government shutdown now in its sixth week. The hold-up stems from a fight over funding for immigration enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security. Thousands of Transportation Security Administration workers have called out or quit without paychecks, leaving lines snaking for hours at places like, Atlanta, New York, Houston, and Chicago. To ease the chaos, immigration, and customs enforcement, send hundreds of paid agents to 14 busy airports this week. They're handling basic jobs like checking travel documents, guarding doors, managing crowds, and even passing out water. Officials say this lets understab TSA teams focus on expert screening tasks since ICE isn't trained for X-rays or full checks. Travelers have mixed feelings, with some relieved to see extra hands, while others wonder if it's making a real difference.

1:00TSA Union leaders call it a band-aid that ignores the core problem of unpaid wages. Workers, earning around $35,000 a year on average, face tough choices like skipping shifts for lack of gas money or sleeping in. Cars. Wade times have eased in spots, dropping from three hours to under 45 minutes at Atlanta's main airport by Tuesday. The Houston saw four hour backups in New York's LaGuardia, dealt with over an hour, plus a recent shutdown from a plane crash. ICE plans to expand to more locations soon. Even as they help, ICE agents keep up routine immigration checks and arrested airports. With no funding deal in sight, these efforts aim to keep travel moving, though pressure bills for Congress to end the standoff and get TSA paid.