Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is requesting that flyers arrive at least four hours before takeoff as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues.
The Atlanta airport cited “staffing constraints” with the Transportation Security Administration in its post on X. Footage shared online showed wait lines extending outside the airport.
ATL’s Hartsfield International Airport at 3:30 am Monday morning. Totally insane and self-inflicted from a Congress busier creating problems than solving them. pic.twitter.com/h7BH59F99S
— Patricia Murphy (@MurphyAJC) March 23, 2026
“We appreciate your patience and thank our federal and airport partners for their continued dedication,” the airport said on Monday morning.
Due to TSA staffing constraints, ATL is continuing to see longer than normal wait times at security checkpoints.
Travelers are encouraged to arrive at least 4 hours early.
We appreciate your patience and thank our federal and airport partners for their continued dedication.
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) March 23, 2026
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will assist TSA officers at airports amid the shutdown. Atlanta is among the airports receiving ICE’s help, with footage and photos of officers at the airport posted online.
Border czar Tom Homan said on Sunday that ICE officers won’t replace TSA officers, but instead fill gaps created by staffing shortages. However, some are giving Trump’s deployment of ICE a chilly reception, with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union calling it an “invasion.”
DHS shared footage of the long line of travelers at the Atlanta airport on X, writing, “Thank a Democrat.”
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he predicts the shutdown to get “much worse” on Sunday, putting pressure on Congress to resolve it.
Denver International Airport requested that flyers donate gift cards to “support the dedicated TSA employees working without pay” on March 11. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport also asked for “non-perishable, shelf-stable food, hygiene products, or infant supplies” for its food pantry.