TSA officers from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field have been deployed to Houston to help fill critical staffing gaps as a weeks-long partial government shutdown stretches airport security operations to the breaking point across the country.
Johnny Jones, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1040, which represents TSA officers in North Texas, said more than a dozen officers from DFW have been sent to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport to help cover gaps driven by high call-out rates. Officers from Love Field have also been sent as part of the deployment effort.
Bush Intercontinental has become the symbol of how the ongoing partial government shutdown has disrupted the nation's air travel system. Frustrated travelers at Houston's largest airport have faced warnings of four-hour wait times to get through security as many TSA workers aren't showing up for shifts because they are not getting paid during the shutdown. While 11% of TSA workers nationally did not show up for work on Tuesday, at Bush Intercontinental that number was nearly 40%. At Houston's William P. Hobby Airport, it was even higher at 43%.
TRAVEL TIP: To stay informed about your flight from DAL, check your airline's app or website for real-time updates on its status: whether it is on time, delayed, or canceled. ✈️
— Dallas Love Field Airport (@DallasLoveField) March 24, 2026
Curious about ground stops? You can find that info from the FAA here ➡️ https://t.co/31KJiTNzug pic.twitter.com/0sMRx8cpdr
Jones said conditions at DFW have remained more stable than at other airports, due to differences in management and stricter policies around employee call-outs. He is calling on the federal government to provide $10,000 bonuses on top of back pay to help officers recover from their third government shutdown this fiscal year.
The ongoing DHS shutdown stretched to its 39th day Tuesday, with more than 400 TSA employees having left the agency since it began, while thousands more have started calling out of work.
TSA officers are approaching their third missed paycheck during this shutdown. Officers have faced financial hardship, with some struggling to pay rent and others unable to afford child care. The AFGE is planning to open a food bank for TSA workers at both DFW and Love Field on Friday, March 27.
Here's how things are looking for March 25, 2026.
— Bush Airport (@iah) March 25, 2026
For more details, please visit: https://t.co/OJ0HtTRwFV pic.twitter.com/ef6NHJ2xhs
Dallas Love Field launched a public donation drive on March 20, located north of the Spirit of Flight Plaza off Contrail Lane. The airport is accepting donations of toiletries, baby supplies, non-perishable food and grocery and gas gift cards. No cash will be accepted.
To address the Houston crisis, the Trump administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports hit hardest by the shortages, with White House border czar Tom Homan saying ICE agents have been stationed at 14 U.S. airports. DFW and Love Field have not been among the airports receiving ICE deployments.
Union leaders pushed back on that approach. Jones described the situation at Houston airports as a "potential perfect storm," citing severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers expected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in less than 80 days. He warned that newly hired officers won't be trained in time to assist with that surge.
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Bush Intercontinental has become the symbol of how the ongoing partial government shutdown has disrupted the nation's air travel system.
