Government Shutdown Forces MIA Airport to Close a Terminal

Donald Trump's tantrum over his absurd border wall has now made life even more frustrating for Miamians. Due to the government shutdown, Miami International Airport is so short on federal security workers that it will temporarily close an entire terminal, airport spokesperson Greg Chin has told multiple media outlets.

The airport this morning published a media release stating that MIA is so short on Transportation Security Administration workers that it will temporarily shut down Terminal G at 1 p.m. Saturday. The terminal will reopen for some Sunday-morning flights before closing again at 1 p.m. that day. The same will happen Monday. (The Miami Herald first confirmed the news late yesterday evening.)

United, Bahamasair, and many other airlines typically use those gates. The airport this morning published a media release confirming flights will be rerouted from Terminal G to Terminal F or H for the next three days.

"As a precautionary measure due to uncertainties created by the lapse in federal government funding, some passengers at Miami International Airport may experience changes to their security checkpoint and departure gate this weekend," airport spokespeople wrote. "MIA does not anticipate any significant impacts to flight schedules or the passenger experience from any gate changes."

In response, airport officials encouraged travelers this weekend to arrive at least two hours early for flights and, if possible, to check in for flights online before arriving.
America is so far 22 days into the latest government shutdown, which began after Trump demanded $5 billion to build a gigantic wall across the southern border that virtually all immigration analysts say will not stop most undocumented people from arriving. Instead, the wall will enrich military and security contractors while acting as a colossal monument to American racism.

Somehow the story is even stupider than it seems: The New York Times recently reported that Trump's aides encouraged him to talk about the wall simply because it was a short, easy thing for him to remember. After all,  his brain is made of mac 'n' cheese. The “wall” was simply a rhetorical device to get him to talk about immigration in general. His hog-like fans, however, loved the idea, so now the president might declare a state of emergency in order to build the dumb thing. (That's a tactic used by fascists and authoritarians, but we digress.)

Trump also likely demanded a government shutdown only because some TV hosts on Fox News (namely white-nationalist vampire Ann Coulter) demanded he do so on-air.

Democrats refused to fund the wall project during the federal government's latest round of budget negotiations; therefore, the government has shut down, and more than 800,000 federal workers are not receiving paychecks. Millions of other Americans are also affected: The shutdown has slowed or stopped many basic government activities, from food inspections to hurricane preparedness.

But as it stands, TSA workers are not getting paid, and many are calling out sick en masse to avoid being forced to work for free because Fox News told Grampa President we needed a wall. So now air travel in Miami has become even more of a nightmare. Happy new year!