It looks as though President Biden’s immigration crisis isn’t just on the ground anymore.
That’s because it was reported this week that the Biden administration is allowing illegal migrants to board commercial flights across the United States without ID – all in the name of not being “racist”.
Rep. Lance Gooden from Texas, who has been in the midst of investigation the TSA, made the relevation. His investigation was prompted by “whistleblower documents alleging an operation to move migrants across the country without standard documentation.”
Gooden’s correspondence with the TSA was reported by PJ Media this week.
Gooden wrote to TSA Administrator David Pekoske this week, stating: “We request clarification on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) policies and procedures to protect the nation’s transportation systems and mitigate national security risks. I have serious concerns TSA is actively assisting illegal immigrants without proper identification travel throughout the country. Therefore, we are requesting TSA provide assistance in identifying and preventing the unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants into and throughout the United States and the role TSA has played in facilitating this influx of migrants.”
He then asked the TSA: “What policies and procedures are in place to identify and screen Non-US/Canadian citizens who do not have documents issued by the U.S. government or passports?”
Gooden’s office has only received an email response from the TSA so far, which reportedly states that “it accepts alternate forms of identification including a Notice to Appear (NTA) in court” as documentation.
An NTA is reportedly only issued after agents have “processed a migrant’s biometrics, taken photos of them, and run their fingerprints through immigration and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) databases,” the PJ Media report says.
But Gooden says agents inform him that an NTA isn’t adequate ID, writing: “When I asked a border patrol officer about TSA allowing migrants to fly with no identification, they told me a Notice to Appear is not sufficient identification and they often have to take migrants at their word that they are who they say they are. TSA and non-profit groups are putting millions of Americans travelling for Christmas at risk by allowing these unknown and unvetted migrants to board planes and fly across the country.”
The TSA fired back, saying that: “in coordination with its DHS counterparts, TSA has also identified alternate forms of ID for use in special circumstances at the checkpoint, circumstances such as non-U.S. citizens or non-nationals who do not have an acceptable form of ID. For travelers in normal circumstances who lack acceptable or alternate forms of ID, TSA calls the National Transportation Vetting Center (NTVC), which attempts to verify a traveler’s identity by using the individual’s information along with information from various government and commercial databases.”
