MSP airport avoids long lines — and ICE presence — during TSA agent shortage

ICE agents showed up at airports across the U.S. on Monday. The Trump administration says the agents are there to help move along slow security lines, largely because of low TSA staffing.

Thousands of TSA agents are working without pay during the partial federal government shutdown. The federal government has not said whether Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among those receiving ICE agents this week. According to CNN, MSP is not among the 14 airports being staffed with ICE agents.

Kyle Potter, editor of the website Thrifty Traveler, said in an interview with MPR News host Nina Moini that he visited MSP early Monday, a typically busy time with longer wait times at security checkpoints. He said he didn’t see any ICE agents and suggested they may not have been sent to MSP because wait times there have not been especially long.

“By and large, things have been moving incredibly smoothly for travelers heading out of MSP over the last month since the shutdown began,” Potter said. “There was one flare-up a couple of weeks ago, with wait times exceeding 30 minutes, but nothing compared to the three or four-hour waits we’ve seen in airports like Atlanta, Houston and New Orleans.”

One reason the Trump administration may not be sending ICE agents to MSP is the airport’s security technology. Potter said ICE agents are being deployed in part to secure exit points while TSA staffing is low.

“All of that, to my knowledge, at [MSP] at this point, is now automated by gates that you know they have those three doors that open as you walk out, which ensures that somebody can't just walk into the airport and get into the secure area,” Potter said. “There may just not be much work for these ICE agents to do.”

Potter said that while MSP appears well staffed now, disruptions could increase if the shutdown continues.

“It is only a matter of time before we see these under five minute waits turn into 15, 30, 45 minute waits. There is only so long that these TSA workers can be expected to report to work while getting zero paychecks,” Potter said. “If this stretches in another week or two, I think all bets are off.”

Potter said the shutdown could also have long-term effects on the airport security workforce, potentially driving up airfare.

“Who in their right mind would join the TSA at a time when you know you're now basically expected to work without pay. It is not the time that this workforce is going to grow,” Potter said. “These are the kinds of things that can have an effect on travel demand and how often people want to subject themselves to going to the airport.”

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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