Passengers across the United States have faced severe disruptions as a Department of Homeland Security shutdown leads to staffing shortages at airports, with unpaid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers quitting or refusing to work. Nearly 500 TSA officers have left since the shutdown began last month, causing hours-long security lines and missed flights.
Boston-based passenger John Hildebrandt described a three-hour wait at US customs in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, saying: “Absolutely insane. I’ve traveled for business over the last 30 years and never experienced motionless queues like the one we just exited.” He credited an insistent transport dispatcher for suggesting he arrive three and a half hours early, which allowed him to make his flight.
The Trump administration has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports to assist with security, a move widely condemned by the public and lawmakers. Some travellers have opted to cancel trips altogether. Bronwyn Fryer, a 72-year-old writer from Montpelier, Vermont, cancelled a planned trip to California, saying: “The thought of encountering ICE at airports was the nail in the coffin. I feel like we’re condemned to a never-ending nightmare under this current administration.”
In Florida, personal assistant Kristin Campos missed her international flight to Costa Rica after waiting four hours in a TSA line at Miami International Airport. A Tennessee mother rebooked her daughter’s spring break travel to avoid Atlanta, costing over $600, after reports of five-hour security lines there. She said: “We still plan to drop her off three hours early for a domestic flight, which is ridiculous.”
At smaller airports, confusion has compounded delays. A Connecticut-based traveller described chaos at Tweed New Haven airport, saying: “The lines were not orderly or clear. Add TSA shortages to this recipe and chaos reigns. We will not travel by air in the future, or until the problems are resolved.” Another passenger, John in Texas, abandoned Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport after finding a five-hour wait, instead flying from Hobby Airport with no queue. He called the situation “gross mismanagement”.
