Atlanta travelers face uncertain airport wait times as DHS funding deal nears

Passengers report varying experiences at different times of day at security screening as ICE agents assist TSA staff

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Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta international airport turned the digital wait time sign off days ago. Predicting passenger behavior can be hard; predicting the behavior of unpaid TSA agents is also hard. Keeping an accurate clock has been impossible.

Even though ICE agents have started filling in for TSA screeners at some airports, a morning flight might mean a three-hour slog with lines winding around baggage carousels, from the security checkpoint all the way outside to the curb.