Sens. Johnson, Portman Introduce Legislation to Prohibit TSA from Accepting Arrest Warrants as Valid Proof of ID

OSHKOSH – On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, 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. The senators introduced this legislation after TSA confirmed its use of arrest warrants, issued by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to help confirm the identity of unlawful migrants for travel by air.

“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. 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,” said Johnson.

“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. 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,” said Portman.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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