MIA reopened after partial evacuation, causing backlog of anxious travelers

Miami International Airport was partially evacuated for more than two hours Sunday after luggage was left unattended at Departures Door 21, causing panic among travelers and airport staff.

Transportation Security Administration checkpoints for concourses G, H and J and surrounding areas were evacuated, Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesperson Greg Chin said.

The Miami-Dade’s Sheriff’s Office gave the all clear shortly before 7:30 p.m., and all areas were reopened, Chin said.

“Passengers driving to MIA this evening should give themselves additional time,” Chin said.

The incident created a huge backlog of anxious passengers for those already at the airport, particularly those flying to Latin America who were trying to get through the security at departure gate 26.

At Concourse H and J, the crowds were such that there were no clear lines as people just stood where they could to try and make it through the gate to through security. Elsewhere, families were sitting on the floor, eating airport sandwiches.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office responded to MIA shortly before 5 p.m. about the luggage, Detective Angel Rodriguez said.

People were evacuated out of an “abundance of caution,” Rodriguez said. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was on scene and gave the all clear, he said, after which normal airport operation resumed.

Travelers took to social media to post videos and photos that appear to show hundreds of people standing outside the airport.

The evacuation happened during an already disrupted travel weekend. Travelers were cautioned about delays and cancellations through the weekend due to winter storms.

Jennifer Tripp, who was traveling on Delta Airlines to Los Angeles with her husband, Bob, said they had been attending a wedding in Miami and were sitting at a restaurant inside the airport watching a football game when they looked over and “heard people screaming,” unsure of what was happening.

Everyone was calm, Jennifer said, until “the people working, the TSA started screaming.”

“Everyone was screaming, everyone was running. Everyone was huddled in the corners,” she said. “Parents were crying, hiding their babies and hovering in unattended spaces.”

The couple said even after they made it outside and were allowed back in, the airport still had not communicated to them what was going on. They described the scene as a “madhouse,” “insane” and said the clearance lacked any order.

“At least we’re walking, and we’re in a line, I feel like I can breathe” Jennifer Tripp said at a checkpoint that was finally moving at around 9:15 p.m.

This story was originally published January 25, 2026 at 7:31 PM.