Over the weekend, the New York Times reported on the so-called “behavioral detection program” at Logan Airport in Boston, where TSA screeners say that pressure to meet quotas has led to racial profiling and targeting of passengers based on race, ethnicity and religion. While the allegation of profiling at airport security probably doesn’t come as a shock, the fact that so many federal officers would raise the alarm is an interesting and welcome development.
More than 30 officers spoke with the Times and additional screeners were interviewed by the ACLU of Massachusetts. One officer who spoke on condition of anonymity made clear the extent of the problem: “They just pull aside anyone who they don’t like the way they look — if they are black and have expensive clothes or jewelry, or if they are Hispanic.”
The TSA says they’re “investigating” the reports of abuse in Boston, but this is hardly the first indication that “behavioral detection” is a straight path to racial profiling. New Jersey and Hawaii have had similar reports of abuse, and given the risk facing officers who come forward with insider information, it’s hard to believe those are the only states involved. Conveniently, TSA says it does not keep numbers on the race or ethnicity of those stopped under the “behavioral detection” program.
The presence of racial profiling in airports and elsewhere is nothing new, but when so many sources from within TSA come forward -- both to the New York Times and to the ACLU -- it gives extra credence to the harsh reality and the dangerous scope of racial profiling in America.
