{"id":234686,"date":"2026-03-24T21:13:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/234686\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T21:13:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T21:13:23","slug":"tsa-crisis-hits-long-beach-airport-as-staggering-number-of-agents-call-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/234686\/","title":{"rendered":"TSA crisis hits Long Beach Airport as staggering number of agents call out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

A sharp staffing shortage hit Southern California travel over the weekend, with more than one in five TSA officers<\/a> at Long Beach Airport<\/a> calling out on Saturday, creating one of the most severe shortfalls in the country.<\/p>\n

Roughly 21% of screeners failed to report for duty at the coastal airport, according to federal data.<\/p>\n

Despite the unusually high absentee rate, some travelers moving through Long Beach Airport on Sunday said operations appeared relatively smooth, though many had braced for delays by arriving early, ABC7<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People wait in line to clear TSA at Long Beach Airport. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n

The airport, which serves as a key regional hub for Southern California flyers \u2014 particularly for domestic routes and budget carriers \u2014 typically handles a steady flow of passengers but is smaller and more streamlined than major hubs like LAX.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Long Beach Airport said flights and screening operations had not yet been significantly disrupted, but cautioned that conditions could worsen if the shutdown drags on.<\/p>\n

The disruption in Long Beach comes as airports nationwide grapple with staffing gaps<\/a>, with more than 11% of TSA workers calling out across the US on the same day \u2014 the highest rate recorded since the shutdown began.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People enter the TSA security area at Long Beach Airport. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York<\/a>, MCO in Florida, O\u2019Hare International Airport in Illinois, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were among the airports with the most delayed flights.<\/p>\n

In response, the Trump administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> agents to assist at airport security checkpoints starting Monday.<\/p>\n

As of Monday morning, the agents were deployed to 14 major hubs; however, no deployment was made to any California airports.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A TSA agent who didn\u2019t call off work at Los Angeles International Airport, March 23. AP<\/p>\n

The staffing crisis stems from the prolonged partial government shutdown<\/a>, which has left TSA officers working without pay for weeks.<\/p>\n

Federal authorities say the strain is already taking a toll, with hundreds of TSA employees reportedly leaving their positions since the funding lapse began.<\/p>\n

The partial US government shutdown in early 2026 is driven by intense congressional disputes over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding and immigration enforcement reforms.<\/p>\n

Following a brief general shutdown in late January\/early February 2026, a prolonged shutdown centered on DHS and immigration was triggered by calls for reform.<\/p>\n

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