Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR’s daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Local TSA union leaders say they haven’t heard anything so far about ICE agents coming to Boston’s Logan Airport as part of President Trump’s national deployment. We have more on that situation below, but let’s begin with something we do know is coming to Logan:
Taking off: Logan Airport is planning to debut a new system to help flyers track wait times for security screening. As The Boston Globe first reported last week, the new tracker will launch on Logan’s website and app in mid-April. The tech arrives amid concerns over long TSA wait times at airports across the U.S., caused by staffing shortages and the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. However, Massport spokesperson Jennifer Mehigan told WBUR that the initiative “began a while ago as a customer improvement, and is not related to the government shutdown.”
- How it works: The system, which is currently being tested in Logan’s Terminal B, uses camera analytics collected by a third-party vendor. It will capture how many bodies are in line, and how quickly they’re moving — but not facial features or clothing, according to Mehigan. That information will be used to calculate an average estimated wait time, which will then be posted to Logan’s website, the FlyLogan app and screens at the airport. (It’s separate from the TSA’s app, which also displays wait times but hasn’t been working during the DHS shutdown.) Mehigan said airport officials are “making sure the data is accurate before we roll out in all terminals and make the wait times public.”
- In related news: WBUR’s Rachell Sanchez-Smith reports that more than 30 TSA employees at airports across New England have quit since the DHS shutdown began last month. Still, Mehigan says Massport’s airports, including Logan and Worcester Regional Airport, are “sufficiently staffed” and have not been plagued by the long lines seen at other airports across the country.
- Will ICE get involved? President Trump announced Sunday that he will begin deploying ICE agents to airports today to assist TSA if the DHS funding dispute remained unresolved. Border czar Tom Homan confirmed the plan, though it’s not exactly clear what the ICE agents’ airport duties will be. Multiple outlets have reported that agents will go to 14 airports struggling with staffing shortages.
- The local angle: Mike Gayzagian, union president for AFGE Local 2617, which represents TSA workers in New England, said Sunday that he hasn’t received any official communications about ICE coming to local airports. “The New England region has not experienced the same problems as other parts of the country and so we do not see such a move as something that’s necessary at this time,” Gayzagian said in a statement. “However, if the staffing situation deteriorates, the need for such a move may have to be reevaluated.”
- Meanwhile: New York City’s LaGuardia Airport will be closed until at least 2 p.m. today, after an Air Canada jet hit a fire truck on the runway, killing at least two people and injuring dozens of others. More than 20 flights at Logan going to or arriving from LaGuardia have been canceled, according to FlightAware.
The future of Faneuil Hall: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is gathering local business leaders, city officials and property owners this morning at Faneuil Hall Marketplace for a “series of discussions” on the future of shopping center. The longtime tourist attraction has been plagued by vacant storefronts. But Wu hopes to reinvigorate it as part of her larger push for a more vibrant downtown.
- What’s next? This morning’s program will kick off two days of tours and workshops with urban design and development experts from the U.S. and Europe, who will collaborate with Boston’s leadership to find ways to make Faneuil Hall Marketplace attractive to tourists and locals.
- Listen: MassLive columnist Scott Kirsner recently joined WBUR’s Morning Edition to share seven ideas for Faneuil Hall’s future.
At the pump: Gov. Maura Healey is rejecting calls to suspend the state’s gas tax, as prices continue to rise due to the war with Iran. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gas hit $3.74 on Monday in Massachusetts. The governor told CBS Boston’s Jon Keller that suspending the state’s 24-cent-a-gallon tax won’t “get us very far” in the big picture. “The biggest thing is that this war has got to end,” Healey said.
P.S. — WBUR’s spring fundraiser has just begun. Since we lost our federal funding last summer, Boston has stepped up in a big way. But we still have some work to do to finish our fiscal year on strong financial footing. Our goal is to wrap up our spring fundraiser as quickly as possible: as soon as we reach our goal of $1.1 million. Help us get off to a strong start. If you donate today, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar.
