Columbus airport officials do not know if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be sent to John Glenn Columbus International Airport on March 23 as ordered by President Trump.
The president announced ICE agents will assist understaffed Transportation Security Administration employees amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority has not heard if ICE agents will be sent to Columbusto assist the TSA, Breann González Almos, a spokesperson for the airport authority told The Dispatch March 22. But as the airport doesn’t employ TSA agents, the decision is up to TSA, Almos said.
The New York Times reported March 23 that ICE agents would only be deployed to 14 large airports, not including Columbus. CNN reported 13 airports would be involved, including Cleveland Hopkins.
In a March 22 statement to The Dispatch, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not answer specific questions, but said sending ICE agents to local airport would bolster TSA agents’ efforts to keep air travel safe while minimizing travel disruptions.
“Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours long lines at airports across the country—especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families,” spokesperson Lauren Bis said via email.
TSA employees nationwide have been working unpaid since Feb. 14 because of the dispute between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA.
White House border czar Tom Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on March 22, Homan said ICE agents won’t be manning X-ray machines, but they’ll help with other work. Customs and Border Protection agents primarily manage immigration control at airports.
Columbus passengers report no issues with TSA waits
A few travelers arriving in Columbus on March 22 told The Dispatch that they generally didn’t have long waits when they arrived at various airports that morning or when they left Columbus.
Erik Cranmer said when when left Orlando in the morning, he took him less than a minute to get through security. He also got through just as quickly when he left Columbus on March 20.
“I didn’t experience any problems with TSA this entire weekend,” he said.
When asked what he thought about sending ICE agents to airports, Cranmer said, “I don’t think it sounds needed based on my flying experience, but that might be different for others or other airports.”
Alex Brodie, of Seattle, and Morgan Taylor, of Atlanta, were each flying home March 22 after a girls trip to Columbus to visit The Book Loft and see the Columbus Blue Jackets face the Seattle Kraken the day before.
The friends had checked the wait times prior to arriving at the airport and knew they would only take about 30 minutes to get through security.
Travelers can see how long they might have to wait in line at John Glenn Columbus on the security page on the airport’s website. The average wait time on March 22 was about 39 minutes.
While lengthy wait times at the Atlanta airport have made national news, Taylor said she bypassed the line by going through security at the airport’s international gate and then taking a train inside the airport to get to her concourse.
Upon learning that Trump was sending ICE agents to airports, Brodie said, “Now it all sounds orchestrated so he can be in control of all ports of entry.”
After seeing media reports and social media posts about long security wait times at other airports, Tami Phelps said she was at the airport to enroll in TSA PreCheck so she can bypass any potential lines when she and her 8-year-old son travel to Orlando for spring break on March 30.
“I’ll have my son with me, so I don’t want the hassle,” she said.
She said it was third attempt to enroll after being turn away at a store last week because she didn’t have an appointment and at the airport the day before when they didn’t have anyone available.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Delaware County and eastern Columbus suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: John Glenn Columbus airport not getting ICE help for TSA, report says
Reporting by Maria DeVito, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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