Hagerty, Rubio, Colleagues Introduce SECURE Flights Act to Prevent Illegal Immigrants From Using Arrest Warrants as TSA ID

Statement

United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and eight other colleagues in introducing the Strengthening Enforcement to Curtail Unlawful, Risky Entrance to Flights Act, or SECURE Flights Act of 2022, to prevent the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) from allowing illegal aliens to use immigration enforcement documents, such as arrest warrants, as identification when boarding commercial flights.

Specifically, the Secure Flights Act would clarify that DHS-issued documents, such as arrest or deportation warrants, are not valid for commercial airline travel. Further, if a traveler presents one of those documents, the bill requires the TSA agent to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and local law enforcement to determine whether the individual is in violation of any terms of release. If the individual is found to be in violation, he or she will not be allowed to fly, with an exception if the individual is traveling for purposes of self-deportation.

"At a time when unprecedented levels of illegal immigration and drastically reduced deportations have created a national security and humanitarian disaster within our country, it's irrational to allow illegal aliens to use immigration arrest warrants or deportation orders to board commercial airlines and freely travel around the country," said Senator Hagerty. "There should be no objection to expressly prohibiting this senseless process that only encourages more illegal immigration."

"The rule of law went out the window when the Biden Administration took office," said Senator Rubio. "It is dangerous and deranged to allow illegal immigrants to use arrest warrants to board commercial flights and travel throughout our country."

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