A CNN reporter was left stunned after security checkpoint wait times dropped from hours to minutes at a major Atlanta airport following President Trump’s deployed ICE agents to assist unpaid TSA agents.
Senior National Correspondent Ryan Young reported in disbelief that the presence of unmasked immigration agents at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport sparked a dramatic shift, with travelers zipping through security after weeks of grueling lines amid the partial government shutdown.
“Wolf, I almost can’t believe I’m able to say this, the times have dropped off tremendously this morning,” Young told anchor Wolf Blitzer Tuesday morning from inside the major travel hub.
“People were waiting an hour in line, now that is not the case. If you look at the main checkpoint here, it seems like there’s less than a dozen people. I don’t think people thought they were going to see the numbers where they are right now.”
The camera then panned to the deserted TSA checkpoint, where few people were waiting in line.
Young noted that Tuesday is typically a slower travel day at the Atlanta airport – before highlighting the positive interactions ICE agents have had with travelers since arriving Monday.
“They are patrolling the outside areas of the airport, keeping people safe, interacting with some of the people as they walk by but for the most part they have this defensive posture where they’re sort of just walking around and making the parameter is safe,” the correspondent added.
“So far the interactions between the people and the agents have been pretty nice cause they’re not wearing the masks.”
When asked by Blitzer if ICE agents are conducting immigration sweeps at the airport, Young said he hasn’t seen a single officer ask for an ID or stop anyone. Instead, he said, some agents are posted at TSA checkpoints, standing guard as passengers breeze through.
“We’ve never seen them take a license from anybody as well,” Young noted.
“The one area of the job that we have seen them do is every now and then they’ll stand – like this gentleman is – right behind some of the TSA agents, but not even interacting with the public. So he’s standing there guarding, but not taking any sort of boarding pass or ID from anyone.”
ICE agents were deployed Monday to help ease travel woes and hellish lines at about 14 airports nationwide, where security staff have been working without pay since a partial government shutdown cut Department of Homeland Security funding in February.
Over the weekend, TSA screener absences reached their highest level since the partial shutdown began five weeks ago, according to the DHS.
While ICE agents at Atlanta’s airport have reportedly kept things calm and moving, footage from Monday showed hostile travelers at various hubs chasing officers, shoving cameras in their face, or shouting at them as they worked.
Other clips were far less aggressive, with appreciative passengers seen shaking officers’ hands and thanking them for their help.