Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today met with Miami-Dade County Commission Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa during a visit to Washington to discuss problems Miami International Airport (MIA) is facing in light of increased passenger traffic. In the past five years, international passenger traffic has grown faster at MIA than at any other major U.S. airport – 24.2 percent – and the global gateway handled more than 20 million international passengers in 2013, second only to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.

Despite this unprecedented growth, federal CBP staffing levels at MIA’s passport control areas have failed to keep up, resulting in passenger wait times of up to two hours, long lines and missed flight connections.

“I appreciated Chairwoman Sosa’s visit and her continued advocacy to address the unique needs and pressures that MIA faces,” said Rubio. “As a frequent flyer through MIA, I am all too aware of the increased passenger traffic making its way through there.

“This is a good thing because it means more people are visiting Miami and more commerce is flowing through our airport, but it also means increased demand for CBP staffing,” added Rubio. “I will continue making the case to DHS that adequate manpower needs to be provided in order to process international travelers in an efficient manner.”

Pictures from the meeting are below. They can be viewed in higher quality here.