Hundreds Of Flights Delayed At O'Hare Airport As Ground Delay Issued

CHICAGO, IL —An hours-long ground delay was issued at O'Hare International Airport Saturday, affecting flights from around the nation.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued the ground delay to last roughly from 5:45 p.m. to 10 p.m., triggering flight delays of just under forty minutes on average. The ground delay was issued in response to widespread staffing shortages, according to the FAA.

Due to the delay, flights into Chicago were being held at their departure airports Saturday until the crews at O'Hare have the capacity to handle them.

As of 9 p.m. Saturday there had been approximately 458 delayed flights going into or out of O'Hare International Airport and 14 cancellations, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.

The disruption comes as Transportation Security Administration workers are being asked to work without pay and as the busy spring break travel season heats up.

On Saturday President Donald Trump threatened to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to perform TSA duties at airports on Monday unless Democrats approve the administration's plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

“If the Radical Left Democrats don’t immediately sign an agreement to let our Country, in particular, our Airports, be FREE and SAFE again,” Trump wrote on social media. “I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before.”

“I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday,” he later added.

The funding impasse stems from Democrats insistence on new restrictions for ICE and U.S. Border Patrol agents, including banning them from wearing masks on the job, requiring visible identification on officers, judicial warrants and increased use-of-force training and policies.

Amid the funding impasse, TSA staff have been working for weeks without pay, causing long lines and delays at airports across the country.