2 hours ago
3
With astir 40% of TSA employees astatine George Bush Intercontinental Airport calling retired arsenic the partial authorities shutdown drags into a sixth week, Houston has a problem.
The information enactment successful Terminal A connected Monday turned into a three-floor nightmare stretching into the airport's underground bid system. The hold starts wrong the terminal with a agelong slog successful the subway corridor below, winding past baggage assertion earlier climbing into ticketing — a slow-moving maze that travelers telephone confusing and inefficient.
Out of the airport's 5 terminals, lone 2 had TSA staffing, and the hold times could transcend 4 hours, the airdrome told travelers.
The postulation successful Terminal E was moving somewhat faster connected Monday, but passengers successful some terminals with TSA officers told CBS News they had been waiting much than 3 hours. PreCheck and CLEAR lanes were some closed, pushing everyone into the aforesaid clogged lines.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents basal adjacent to information lines astatine George Bush Intercontinental Airport connected March 23, 2026 successful Houston, Texas.
Antranik Tavitian / Getty Images
To assistance relieve the staffing shortage, the Trump medication sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to immoderate of the airports that person been deed peculiarly hard.
The Department of Homeland Security did not corroborate wherever the agents were deployed owed to "operational information reasons," but White House borderline czar Tom Homan said ICE agents are presently stationed successful 14 U.S. airports.
CBS News spotted astir 2 twelve migration officers — astir armed, with badges that place them arsenic ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations — astatine George Bush Intercontinental Airport connected Monday. The agents are stationed astatine the information lines, on with Houston police, exigency absorption unit and airdrome staff.
While ICE agents could beryllium seen directing passengers and trying to support lines moving astatine the worst choke points, TSA officers are inactive handling ID checks and moving screening machines.
Throughout the Houston airport, there's a informing playing connected the loop to each passengers. It says, "attention passengers — owed to the national authorities shutdown TSA hold times are presently exceeding 4 hours. If your formation is departing soon, you whitethorn not wide information successful time. Please see contacting your airlines present for rebooking options."
Some travelers told CBS News they walked in, saw the information enactment and instantly rebooked their flight.
One pistillate said she broke down successful tears connected Sunday aft proceeding the last boarding telephone for her formation to Philadelphia portion inactive stuck successful enactment — a gross cause aboriginal told her that she was 1 of 40 passengers to miss that leg. She returned connected Monday to again look the agelong hold time.
Another rider told CBS News helium plans to walk the nighttime astatine the airdrome up of a formation Tuesday retired of Terminal A conscionable to marque definite helium gets on.
With nary entree to nutrient portion waiting, families were struggling to calm babies and tiny children. The enactment besides does not travel an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant route, truthful wheelchairs person to beryllium directed to a abstracted area. Airport unit were seen handing retired water, but small else.
For travelers, the vexation is pointed, but astir accidental they're not funny successful the governmental blasted crippled — they conscionable privation Washington to lick the issue.
In:
Videos amusement TSA lines astatine U.S. airports
Videos amusement agelong TSA lines wrapping astir airdrome terminals crossed U.S.
(11:14)
English (US) ·