Confirmed: TSA allowed illegal aliens on airliners

In July, Breitbart issued an exclusive report that alleged that the Transportation Security Administration was allowing illegal immigrants to travel on airline flights without proper identification. According to the story, Border Patrol officers claimed to have witnessed TSA agents permitting illegal aliens to board domestic airline flights with only a Notice to Appear, a federal citation for illegally crossing the border. To determine whether these allegations were true, Examiner contacted the National Border Patrol Council, a union for Border Patrol officers, and the TSA.

For those unfamiliar with a Notice to Appear, also called Form I-862, Nolo.com explains that it is a charging document that signals the initiation of removal proceedings and means that the recipient must appear in immigration court. The document lists the recipient’s name, aliases, address, alien registration number and date of birth, but does not include a photograph and is easy to duplicate. A sample Form I-862 is available on the Justice Department’s website.

Read the full story on Aviation Examiner

No knives on airliners after all, says TSA

 

The Transportation Security Administration announced on Wednesday that it was reversing its previous decision to allow small knives and other previously prohibited items to be carried on airline flights.  In March, the TSA had announced that it would allow airline passengers to carry small folding knives with blades less than 2.36 inches long and less than half an inch wide in carryon baggage.  Sporting equipment such as golf clubs, hockey and lacrosse sticks and miniature baseball bats would also have been allowed.

 

The items have been prohibited from carryon baggage since the September 11 attacks.  The TSA focus on knives and small, sharp objects led some to joke that the agency’s acronym stood for “taking scissors away.”

 

Read the rest on Examiner.com: http://www.examiner.com/article/tsa-decides-not-to-allow-knives-on-airliners

 

 

 

How to avoid travel hassles with the TSA

Many Americans will soon head to the airport to take off on a holiday journey. As these passengers head for their flights, they will have to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints for security screening. For many travelers, the prospect of a TSA screening is daunting, but the process can be made quick and stress free with a little preparation.

Making your TSA experience stress free begins with packing correctly. The TSA website contains a list of prohibited items. In general, anything with a blade or anything that can be considered a weapon cannot be in a carryon bag. Many items, from knives to guns, can be placed in checked baggage, but some items, such as flammable products, cannot be carried on aircraft at all. If in doubt, the TSA website offers a search engine where travelers can search for information on specific items.

Read the rest of this article on Examiner.com:

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/avoiding-hassles-with-tsa-security-screenings?cid=db_articles

 

Are Muslim women exempt from TSA screening?

A Muslim woman in a hijab (Steve Evans-wikimedia commons)

Today I once again don my tinfoil hat to tackle a series of internet rumors about the new TSA screening procedures. These procedures include body scanners and random pad-downs (what most people would probably being frisked). I am actually taking an airline flight from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport today. While riding in from the parking lot, I had the rare opportunity to talk to a TSA officer on an informal basis about the new procedures. While many of his answers are incorporated into this article, I will respect his anonymity.

To read the rest of this article, please click the links below:
Part 1:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-muslim-women-exempt-from-screening-other-tsa-myths

Part 2:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-muslim-women-exempt-from-screening-other-tsa-myths-part-2

Are TSA screenings constitutional? What to expect at the airport

Two Standing Around (public domain)

Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest travel times of the year. This year many travelers, me included, will be undergoing new searches by the Transportation Security Administration. The new searches, which include highly detailed body scans and random pat-downs, have many fliers up in arms. There is a movement to opt out of the body scans in protest, and some are even claiming that the scans are a violation of the Constitution’s fourth amendment. Still others are concerned about the health risk of radiation from the body scanners.

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where my trip will originate, is one of the airports that has the new imaging technology, so if you plan on flying through ATL be prepared to submit to the body scan or a pat-down. The TSA insists that there is little to fear from the machines and that a traveler would have to have 1000 scans before approaching the maximum allowable radiation dose (although some radiation experts dispute the TSA’s claim). This is especially true since not all scanners use x-rays. About half of airport scanners use millimeter-wave technology and have no known health risks. If you are a frequent flyer or are still concerned, you can opt for a pat-down.

To read the rest of this article, please click the link below:

Part 1:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-tsa-screenings-effective-and-constitutional

Part 2:
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/are-tsa-screenings-effective-and-constitutional-part-2