Lines at SEA continue to move swiftly as senators chase deal to end DHS budget standoff

In spite of passengers waiting in line for hours at airport checkpoints around the country due to the government shutdown, lines at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) continue to move swiftly and smoothly.

SEA spokesperson Perry Cooper explained that the airport has expanded to space out travelers.

“We’ve actually added more security checkpoint lanes with a brand new checkpoint, Checkpoint 1 last year, and a redesigned Checkpoint 6,” Cooper told KIRO Newsradio.

Cooper also said the number one reason is that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers who aren’t getting paid continue to show up for work.

“To get people through checkpoints, it’s a funnel, and if you don’t have enough lanes open, you’re not going to be able to get those people through. We’re grateful for all of the TSA officers who have shown up despite not getting paid,” Cooper said.

Airport travelers are encouraged to thank TSA for their service.

Senators scramble to end DHS shutdown as airport lines grow nationwide

In the meantime, senators are racing to salvage a proposal to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown by funding much of the department, including airport workers going without pay, but excluding immigration operations that have been core to the dispute.

The sudden sense of urgency comes as many U.S. airports are snarled by long security lines, with travelers being told to arrive hours before their flights in Houston, Atlanta, and Baltimore/Washington International. Routine Department of Homeland Security funding was halted in mid-February ahead of the busy spring travel season. Nearly 11% of Transportation Security Administration workers who were scheduled to report for duty Monday — more than 3,200 — missed work, and at least 458 have quit altogether since the shutdown began, according to DHS.

Democrats are refusing to fund the department without restraints on Trump’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations after federal agents killed two citizens in Minneapolis.

“The time to end this is now,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

But Democrats panned the offer as insufficient. And President Donald Trump himself was noncommittal.

“I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it,” Trump said at an event at the White House swearing in his new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Airport conditions have become increasingly unpredictable with swelling crowds seen in major hubs. Travelers headed to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports in New York — as well as Newark Liberty International in neighboring New Jersey — still couldn’t check online TSA wait times Tuesday morning.

ICE deployed to airports, but SEA says it’s already staffed

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were spotted in terminals, including at Philadelphia International Airport, where a protester was seen at one of the checkpoints holding a sign criticizing ICE. In Houston, passengers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport spent hours Tuesday navigating meandering security lines that twisted and turned across multiple floors.

Cooper acknowledged that ICE has been deployed to airports nationwide, but said SEA already provides staffing for the types of non-screening positions ICE agents have been filling elsewhere.

“We are aware of the latest news reports that ICE agents may be assigned to provide TSA functions at certain airports. As of Sunday afternoon, operations and security wait times at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) remain normal. SEA, in partnership with TSA and the airlines, already provides staffing for non-screening positions mentioned by the administration as possible jobs for immigration agents,” Cooper said in a statement to KIRO Newsradio.

“SEA will continue to work with our TSA and airline partners to ensure the airport is prepared to provide a safe and efficient travel experience, and we remain deeply committed to providing a welcoming experience to all travelers,” Cooper continued. “We value the dedication of TSA and all frontline staff working through a busy spring season without pay. SEA continues to operate its food pantry for impacted workers and is still accepting gift cards, especially gas gift cards, to support TSA workers.”

Hopes high for a quick deal

The contours of the deal emerged once a group of Republican senators met with Trump at the White House late Monday, after he upended talks and deployed federal immigration officers at certain airport security checkpoints — a move some lawmakers warned could lead to heightened tensions.

The proposal would fund most of Homeland Security, but not one main part of ICE — the enforcement and removal operations that are core to Trump’s deportation agenda.

Under the plan, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations would be funded as well as Customs and Border Protection, and it would include funding for officers to wear body cameras, but few other restraints.

The proposal was not substantially different from one the two sides had already agreed on before the deaths sparked demands for more changes, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the details, which have not been publicly released.

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio; The Associated Press