GEORGE BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT, Texas — Passengers at Houston’s largest airport felt an immediate and positive impact as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrived to work alongside unpaid TSA agents. Screening lines that stretched to about four hours, according to airport officials, were reduced to about an hour when the ICE officers’ shift began.
Breitbart Texas arrived at Terminal A at George Bush Intercontinental Airport at about 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. At that time, the TSA Houston Airport Security website indicated a 240-minute (4-hour) wait. After checking luggage, we were directed to the subway level two floors below to join the line for TSA screening.
The walk to the end of the line in the underground tunnel went on a half to three-quarters of a mile. The return walk while waiting in the queue took about an hour. At that point, airport guides directed us to the second floor, where a winding line continued through baggage claim and the passenger pickup lobby, eventually leading to another escalator to the main security line.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Officers working in IAH Houston Airport (Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
During this process, Breitbart learned that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers were beginning to arrive for their shift. About twenty minutes later, their impact became apparent. Officers were about to relocate TSA workers from non-screening locations, freeing up more TSA agents to conduct screening operations.
Upon arrival, only the South Concourse screening line was open. As we approached the midpoint of the primary screening line, airport officials opened the North Concourse screening line, dramatically reducing wait times. Ten minutes later, we are through the checkpoint and inside the terminal’s secure area. All in all, the screening process took slightly less than two hours, thanks to the opening of the second screening line.
Breitbart spoke with several of the ICE officers who were working in Terminals A, D, and E on Wednesday. They told Breitbart that this was their second day of helping at the airports. On Tuesday, the officers said, lines stretched for five to six hours. By about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, that wait time was reduced to less than one hour.
After making their way through screening lines, many passengers who planned ahead and arrived early took a much-needed break. (Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
“We are happy to be helping to provide some relief to passengers and the TSA agents who are not currently being paid due to the Democrats withholding funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” one ERO officer told Breitbart. The officer also expressed frustration with not being out on the streets, removing criminal aliens from the city of Houston and the surrounding counties.
“We would much rather be doing the job we are trained and paid to do,” the officer stated.
Breitbart spoke with several passengers who had cleared screening and were waiting for their boarding time. Some expressed sympathy for the TSA employees who were being forced by the Democrat-led shutdown to work without pay. Others expressed their appreciation for the ICE officers who were deployed to help reduce their wait times.
President Donald Trump expressed his gratitude to the men and women of ICE who went straight to work to help the American people in this travel crisis created by Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS. ICE officers and agents are fully funded under provisions passed by Congress in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
