Updated on: March 23, 2026 / 9:52 PM EDT / CBS News
With nearly 40% of TSA employees at George Bush Intercontinental Airport calling out as the partial government shutdown drags into a sixth week, Houston faces major delays.
On Monday the security line in Terminal A stretched across three floors into the airport’s underground train system. The queue begins inside the terminal, moves through the subway corridor below past baggage claim, then climbs into ticketing — a slow, confusing maze travelers called inefficient.
Only two of the airport’s five terminals had TSA staffing. The airport warned wait times could exceed four hours; some Terminal A passengers reported waiting five or six hours. Traffic in Terminal E moved somewhat faster, but passengers in both staffed terminals said waits topped three hours. PreCheck and CLEAR lanes were closed, funneling everyone into the same congested lines.
To relieve shortages, the administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports hit hardest. DHS did not confirm deployment locations for operational security reasons, but White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE agents are stationed in 14 U.S. airports. CBS News observed about two dozen ICE officers at George Bush Intercontinental on Monday, most armed and identified as ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, positioned at security lines alongside Houston police, emergency management personnel and airport staff.
ICE agents were seen directing passengers and attempting to keep lines moving at major choke points, while TSA officers continued to handle ID checks and run screening machines. Throughout the airport an automated warning repeated that TSA wait times exceed four hours and urged passengers to contact airlines for rebooking if their flights depart soon.
Some travelers rebooked upon seeing the lines. One woman said she cried after missing a flight to Philadelphia while still in line; a gate agent told her she was one of about 40 passengers who missed that leg. Another passenger said he planned to sleep at the airport the night before his Tuesday flight to ensure he would get on.
Passengers reported no access to food while waiting, and families struggled with infants and small children. The queue did not follow an ADA-compliant route, so passengers using wheelchairs were directed to a separate area. Airport staff handed out water but little else.
Frustration among travelers is high; most said they did not want to engage in political blame but urged Washington to resolve the staffing crisis.