Check Denver airport security wait times

Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are being sent to help with security screenings at several airports around the country amid an ongoing partial government shutdown, but there is no indication they are coming to Denver at this point.

DHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Lauren Bis, told USA TODAY that the agency would not confirm the locations of officers, citing “operational security reasons.” CNN and the New York Times reported that more than a dozen airports would see ICE agents and neither named Denver among them.

It’s not clear that the move has improved security wait times at any of the airports, USA TODAY reported.

Denver International Airport is in the home stretch of the spring break travel window, with more than 1.3 million passengers expected to go through airport security between March 11 and 29. Wait times have remained relatively short compared to other airports across the country where waits have been stretching for hours.

Here is how to check security wait times for DEN.

How to check Denver airport security wait times

To check wait times at Denver International Airport, go to flydenver.com/security. The page gives waiting times for each checkpoint, differentiating for those who will undergo a standard screening and the line for those with TSA Precheck and CLEAR.

The page also has other important information, including directions on how to sign up for an appointment to skip part of the line at the checkpoints, the latest directions on what to do with your belongings at the screening and how long average walking times are to go to gates

Travelers are warned that wait times can change quickly and peak times when lines tend to be longest are 3 to 4:30 a.m., 8 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.

Why are TSA agents not getting paid?

Trump blames Democrats for shutdown and defends ICE in airports

President Trump blamed Democrats for the ongoing partial government shutdown and defended his choice to put ICE in airports.

While most of the federal government is fully funded, the Department of Homeland Security ran out of funds allocated by Congress through the typical budget process at midnight on Feb. 13. The dollars are tied up in a dispute over the tactics and practices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with congressional Democrats saying they will not approve more funding for the department without reforms at ICE.

Essential employees can still be called to work during a shutdown, and most workers in Homeland Security’s agencies and bureaus tasked with protecting the nation are considered essential.

Essential workers are required by law to be paid in full after a shutdown ends, but they do not typically get paid during a shutdown. Many of Homeland Security’s workers — including ICE agents — are getting paid on time through funds allocated in the Big Beautiful Bill in 2025, but TSA screeners are a notable exception.

What can people do to support TSA security screeners?

Denver International Airport is accepting donations of gift cards for gas stations and grocery stores for TSA workers who continue to show up despite not being paid.

The donations can be dropped off in collection bins and secure lock boxes in the Great Hall of the Jeppesen Terminal and Final Approach, the airport’s Cell Phone Lot.

Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network.