Travelers report long lines at US Customs after returning to DFW Airport

DALLAS - Many travelers who were returning to the United States after traveling abroad waited hours in close quarters at U.S. Customs at DFW Airport on Saturday.

FOX4 spoke to several people who said they had to wait more than three hours, and they were standing very close to people the entire time, not following social distancing protocols outlined by health officials.

"It was completely packed full of people. It just was crowded. Exactly the environment we are trying to prevent. With not being in large gatherings. With trying to provide social distancing. It completely went opposite of that. So it wasn’t a good environment. If we didn’t get coronavirus in Germany, we might have gotten it today during the customs process," said Kim Martin, who waited in the line.

RELATED: Coronavirus coverage

"I was on a 16-hour flight from Qatar to Dallas. I could have good hygiene but I don't know if the next person has hygiene. So that is where you have to take more precautions because you don't know who you are around," said Matthew Thomas, a Navy veteran who was returning home.

DFW Airport is one of 13 U.S. airports identified by the Department of Homeland Security to screen American citizens, legal permanent residents and their immediate families who are returning home from European and other regions.

"These federally mandated enhanced procedures are part of the effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The necessary additional procedures may cause delays in processing through Customs but are of the utmost importance for the health and safety of everyone," the airport said in a statement.

The nation's top infectious disease expert said people who are in those groups will get back into the country and don't need to rush in. He also said airport crowds are what they don't want to see during a global pandemic.