WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, introduced legislation to prohibit the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from accepting arrest warrants as valid proof of identification at airport security checkpoints and for other purposes. Portman introduced this legislation after TSA confirmed that it is using arrest warrants issued by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help confirm the identity of unlawful migrants for travel by air. This Department of Homeland Security policy presents a national security risk because in some cases, TSA is relying on unverified data provided by an unlawful migrant at the time of apprehension at the border to serve as a verified source of their identity, causing DHS to potentially issue fraudulent identification to unknown individuals that then permits them to fly on American aircraft.
“It is concerning that DHS and TSA are allowing individuals to fly on U.S. aircraft based on unverified personal data provided to CBP or ICE when these people crossed the border unlawfully,” said Portman. “This policy is a national security threat and should be revoked as quickly as possible. It is policies like these from the Biden administration that give the green light to human smugglers and drug traffickers that they can unlawfully enter our country. This administration must change course and instill policies that help secure our border. That’s why I’ve introduced this legislation to prohibit the TSA from accepting arrest warrants of unlawful migrants as valid proof of identification.”
“I am happy to introduce legislation that will aid in securing our border and help stop President Biden’s disastrous open border policies. The Biden administration’s disregard for the rule of law knows no bounds. Since the president took office a year ago, we have seen at least 2.4 million people enter this country illegally,” said Johnson. “For DHS and TSA to allow known criminals who possess an arrest warrant to fly on U.S. aircraft threatens our homeland security. This out-of-control flow of illegal immigration that has created the crisis at the border is a direct result of the Biden administration’s policies.”
The text of the bill can be found here.
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