TSA crisis hits Long Beach Airport as staggering number of agents call out

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

Roughly 21% of screeners failed to report for duty at the coastal airport, according to federal data.

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 reported.

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

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.

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

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, MCO in Florida, O’Hare International Airport in Illinois, and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston were among the airports with the most delayed flights.

In response, the Trump administration deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to assist at airport security checkpoints starting Monday.

As of Monday morning, the agents were deployed to 14 major hubs; however, no deployment was made to any California airports.

The staffing crisis stems from the prolonged partial government shutdown, which has left TSA officers working without pay for weeks.

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

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.

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.

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