Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker call-outs exceeded 3,200 nationwide on Monday, resulting in travelers facing hours-long lines as Congress fails to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending the partial government shutdown.
Recently released figures from DHS indicate that Monday’s TSA call-out rate exceeded ten percent, with more than 3,200 officers not showing up nationwide. The figures show the William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston experiencing the highest percentage of call-outs at 40.3 percent, followed by the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) with 37.4 percent and 36.1 percent call-outs, respectively.
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) followed with 34.9 percent call-outs, and the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) also topped the list with 33.7 percent.
The figures are slightly lower than the day prior, which saw over 3,400 call-outs across the country.
As Breitbart News reported, Houston airports were among the hardest hit in terms of low staff, resulting in hours-long lines. At one point on Monday, the TSA wait line in terminal E at George Bush Intercontinental Airport reached three to four hours.
“THREE HOUR LINES IN HOUSTON,” the DHS X account posted on Tuesday. “Travelers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport are being forced to wait in lines that stretch across THREE floors — wrapping around 4 terminals and starting at the basement level.”
“Democrats must END this chaos and fund DHS,” DHS added.
As Congress fails to come to an agreement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrived at over a dozen airports across the country to assist TSA with the staff shortage due to the partial shutdown. Some airports, such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, have seen a remarkable reduction in lines, after the chaos unraveling over the weekend, following ICE agents assisting this week.
DHS also shared a video of ICE agents helping travelers at airports as the transportation nightmare continued for thousands, handing out waters and assisting in other ways.
“The men and women of @ICEgov are Patriots,” DHS said. “While Democrats continue to jeopardize the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our air travel system, President Trump is taking decisive action — deploying ICE officers to support airports being adversely impacted.”
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.