ATLANTA — Long security lines snaked through the domestic terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday, frustrating some weary travelers as they waited to arrive at the checkpoint.
The crowd formed days after TSA employees did not receive their first full paycheck as the Department of Homeland Security continues to be short on funds.
At Atlanta’s airport, travelers formed parallel lines as they passed through security at the domestic terminal. Digital signs showed wait times for TSA PreCheck passengers ranging from four minutes to more than an hour at the main checkpoint.
Despite the long lines and the exhausted faces of those waiting there, most people seemed calm. Hartsfield-Jackson serves as one of Delta Air Lines’ travel hubs and is one of the busiest airports in the country.
LaRonda Monteiro, who lives in Atlanta, told NBC News that arriving three hours before her flight to New Orleans and getting in line paid off.
“We know we have to stay safe, and I just want to thank the people who remain at TSA and continue to do their jobs,” Monteiro said. “We look forward to welcoming you safely and securely.”
Morgan Young, who was planning to return to Washington, said she “didn’t like” the disruption to her travel while waiting in a TSA line. Young usually flies using CLEAR, a private security program that costs about $200 per person, but that option was not available Sunday.
“Honestly, it’s stressful,” Young said. “I feel like the Atlanta airport is running as smoothly as possible, but it’s definitely stressful, and it’s even more stressful for people who are working without pay.”
Unfortunately for Eezer Gill, who was waiting to clear security to return to his home in Fort Lauderdale. He said it was infuriating to see people suffering while the government remained in limbo.
“Air travel is an essential part of how our country operates, and not being able to go where we want to go will impact many people,” Gill said. “I hear it’s affecting me and many others.”
Democratic lawmakers delayed Republican efforts to pass new legislation to fund the beleaguered DHS after they expressed serious concerns about its handling of immigration enforcement. Funding for DHS expires on February 13, and Democrats are pushing for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection before approving a new spending bill.
TSA officers are considered essential employees who must continue to work without pay. They received a portion of their paychecks after the shutdown, but did not receive their full pay for the first time on Friday.
More than 300 TSA employees have retired since February, the agency said.
Scenes similar to those in Atlanta were also captured at airports in Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Austin, and Chicago.
Videos shared online showed long waits at airports in major cities across the country. A traveler at Texas’ Austin-Bergstrom International Airport posted a video of the winding lines on TikTok at 2 a.m., advising others to arrive several hours before their flight.
The poster said he arrived four hours early but still missed his 2:30 a.m. flight. Some people commented that the situation had improved late Sunday morning.
This experience appears to be being followed up with reports from Austin’s airport, which has been posting updates on social media. According to an airport post on X, lines were “very long” early Sunday morning, but subsided after a few hours.
Another person posted a video Sunday morning showing the line winding back from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport at least three times from their vantage point. The poster wrote in a comment that it took about two hours to get through security.
The TSA acknowledged the long wait times in a social media post Saturday and urged Democrats to end the partial shutdown.
The agency wrote about Mr.
A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on Sunday.
Anthony Riley, 58, continues to work at Syracuse Hancock International Airport during the closure, but he worries he could soon become homeless if nothing changes. He told NBC News last week that he lost his car during last year’s government shutdown and has no savings to fall back on.
“The problem is that my credit rating was decimated by the last government shutdown while I was working and not getting paid,” Riley said.
Riley has three teenage children and his wife, Keya, is waiting for a kidney donation. Without reliable transportation, she worries about how she will get to Rochester if organs become available.
Riley said she is horrified by the violence she has witnessed in immigration detention, but she doesn’t know how much longer she can go without a paycheck.
He is working with legal aid lawyers to avoid eviction and hopes to work out a rent payment plan at a hearing later this month.
“But my lawyer told me to be prepared to leave the country within 30 days if things don’t work out,” Riley said. “Right now, I’m doing everything I can to keep my family out of the streets.”
Aaron Gilchrist and Dan Gallo reported from Atlanta. Doha Madani reported from New York City.
