Long security lines continued to delay passengers Wednesday at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Wait times fluctuated from four hours early in the morning to as short as 30 minutes.
Despite the pockets of reprieve, passengers flying out of Houston are experiencing some of the worst security checkpoint delays in the United States. The call-out rate at Bush for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, who are working without pay amidst a partial shutdown of the federal government, has hovered around 40% for the last few days, according to the TSA.
Alanna Buffi, who was heading home to Rhode Island, said the experience was draining and she scrambled to the airport two hours earlier when she heard about the delays to give herself more time.
"It's frustrating, it's exhausting," Buffi said.
After waiting nearly four hours in security, she made it through and boarded her flight home. Many passengers weren't as fortunate.
Leaders from the American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing TSA agents, said during a news conference Tuesday that airports in large cities with a higher cost of living put bigger financial burdens on agents than in smaller cities. The average TSA worker makes $35,000 per year, and many are still recovering from the last two shutdowns that occurred in the past six months.
Johnny Jones, the secretary and treasurer for the union, says it's taken a serious toll on agents, who instead of showing up to work without being paid are seeking income elsewhere in many cases.
"It’s not just financial stress," Jones said. "There’s been mental destruction, family destruction [and] evictions."
He says the union is pressing lawmakers in Washington to give all agents $10,000 bonuses in addition to their backpay when the government reopens.
"The bottom line is that people have run out of money," Jones said.
Additional TSA agents from other locations are being brought into Houston. So are agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who have been deployed at large airports across the country by the Trump administration.
But for now, long lines and delays at Bush show little sign of improving.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire called the chaos at the airport "unfortunate," but punted responsibility to the federal government.
"We’ve sent every message to Washington to get it resolved," Whitmire said Wednesday. "But that’s unfortunately a federal condition. We’re trying to accommodate the long lines, crowds with accommodations, but certainly that’s a federal issue."
Union leaders also blasted the Trump administration for deploying ICE agents to airports to help with managing the crowds. Jones refuted any suggestion that ICE was helping to alleviate the congested lines at airports.
"They’re not helping with wait times," Jones said. "They may be there doing some mild support functions, but it’s a Tuesday. It’s not as busy as a Monday or Friday. Congress needs to pay the TSA officers. That’s the bottom line and until that’s done, we don’t need ICE agents doing our jobs. We don’t ask to do theirs."
Unlike TSA agents, ICE officers have continued to be paid throughout the shutdown. At Bush airport, ICE agents could be seen patrolling security lines but not directly helping with any TSA-related security measures.
Many passengers remained patient despite the situation. Charles Benton, traveling home to Toronto with his family, had already waited an hour in line and was facing an additional two-hour wait just to reach security. Even though his flight was set to depart in less than an hour, Benton remained patient.
"Well, they're doing their best," Benton said. "I mean, they can't do any better. We all know what's going on here."
Houston Public Media’s Dominic Anthony Walsh contributed to this report.
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