TSA Screening May Not Keep High-Risk Noncitizens off Domestic Flights

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)’s own checks are not enough to keep high-risk immigrants off domestic United States flights, a new report has found.
Released Monday, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General’s report found that TSA and other immigration-related agencies had not properly assessed the risk of letting noncitizens without acceptable ID board a plane or enter the country.
DHS did not agree with the findings, telling the OIG that its report contained “inaccurate statements” and lacked context.
Around 2 million people are screened by TSA agents every day across the U.S. and passengers are supposed to have a recognized form of ID to pass through security, such as a passport, driver’s license or state ID, or a permanent residence card. If a passenger—such as a noncitizen—is without one, agents can verify their identity by other means.
That relies on Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to take photos, fingerprints and DNA samples and store them in a central system. However, CBP and ICE do not have to state whether a migrant presented ID from their home country or not.
“CBP and ICE immigration officers we interviewed acknowledged the risks of allowing noncitizens without identification into the country, yet neither CBP nor ICE conducted a comprehensive risk assessment for these noncitizens to assess the level of risk these individuals present and developed corresponding mitigation measures,” the report said.
That gap left the OIG with concerns about issues that could unfold at a later date, with migrants who may have lied about their identity able to enter the U.S. and move within it.
“Because of CBP’s and ICE’s process for inspecting and releasing noncitizens, TSA’s methods to screen for individuals who pose a threat would not necessarily prevent these individuals from boarding flights,” the OIG report said.
Previous reports from the three DHS agencies, in which concerns were raised, were partially redacted in the OIG report, along with worries about the CBP One app, which is used by migrants to make appointments at the southwest border, having insufficient capabilities in identifying potentially dangerous individuals.
In August, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee said the U.S. border patrol encountered over 250 migrants on terror watchlists, with at least 99 released into the country.
“If CBP and ICE continue to allow noncitizens—whose identities immigration officers cannot confirm—to enter the country, they may inadvertently increase national security risks,” the OIG concluded Monday.
Within the report itself, DHS said it could not detain all of those who enter the U.S. illegally or who arrive without official ID, as this would stretch capacity.
The Department also argued TSA’s additional screening methods for those without ID, also applied to American citizens, mitigated potential risks.
A spokesperson for DHS told Newsweek Thursday evening that agencies had updated policies over the past year.
“Every individual processed by the Department of Homeland Security at the border goes through rigorous national security and public safety vetting, and if any individual is identified as posing a threat, they are denied admission, detained, removed, or referred to other federal agencies for further investigation or prosecution as appropriate,” the spokesperson said.
“We continually monitor available sources of intelligence and law enforcement information to identify threats and public safety risks. If and when any new information emerges, DHS work closely with the FBI and other partners to take appropriate action.”
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Update 10/03/24, 5:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the Department of Homeland Security.