Passengers aboard two international flights were stuck on the planes on the tarmac for hours at an airport in Alabama, where they never intended to land, and then were guarded by police when they were finally allowed into the terminal.

Nearly 300 passengers on board two international flights heading to Atlanta on Thursday were stuck for hours on an Alabama tarmac after their flights were diverted, amid severe weather, to a small airport without Customs and Border Protection staffing.

Passengers then sat on the tarmac, unable to get off the plane for hours since the flight was coming from an international location and there was no Customs and Border Protection staffing at that airport,