Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) asked Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon on Friday to investigate washing facilities at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, alleging in a letter that the government-owned airports provide unlawful religious favoritism.
“Airports can no more offer Muslim-only bathroom spaces than they can maintain white-only bathrooms,” Abbott wrote.
The Friday request marks Abbott’s second federal escalation in one week. On August 14, he ordered Texas officials to review airport grants for possible revocation and asked the Transportation Department and Federal Aviation Administration to investigate the facilities, his office announced.
DFW canceled expansion, not existing stations
DFW canceled a proposal to add two washing stations inside pre-security restrooms in Terminal D after public attention accelerated the airport’s review, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The canceled project did not involve two washing stations that DFW installed beside the Terminal D Interfaith Chapel near Gate D40 in 2019. Neither the airport’s cancellation statement nor Abbott’s Friday request addressed whether those existing stations will remain.
Abbott argues that government facilities cannot provide special treatment to one faith while withholding comparable accommodations from others. His August 14 directive warned that airport operators could lose state grants if officials determine the facilities violate anti-discrimination requirements.
Houston rejects discrimination claim
Houston Mayor John Whitmire rejected Abbott’s characterization. The IAH ablution room and adjoining prayer room serve travelers, employees and other authorized users regardless of faith, and “nobody receives preferential access, and nobody is excluded,” Whitmire said in a statement.
Whitmire said international-airline fees paid for the Houston facilities without city, state or federal taxpayer funds. He also said Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines carried about 366,000 departing passengers through IAH in 2025, representing 22% of the international travelers who left from Terminal D.
Abbott’s new request leaves the Justice Department to decide whether the airports’ accommodations warrant a federal investigation.
Provided by Dallas Express
