The U.S. government has begun requiring migrants without a passport to undergo facial recognition technology to board domestic flights. The change caused confusion this week among immigrants and activist groups in Texas.
It is unclear when the change took effect. However, several migrants with flights departing from South Texas on Tuesday told activist groups they believed they were being denied boarding. Among the migrants were individuals who had used the government’s online appointment system to process their immigration cases.
Migrant advocates were also concerned about migrants who had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally and were processed by Border Patrol agents and released while their immigration cases are resolved.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stated that migrants without proper photo identification who wish to board flights must undergo facial recognition technology to verify their identity against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records.
“If TSA cannot match their identity with DHS records, they will not be allowed into secure airport areas and will be denied boarding,” the agency said.
Agency officials did not specify when TSA made the change, only stating it was recent and not in response to a specific security threat.
It is currently unknown how many migrants may be affected. Some have foreign passports.
Migrants and overwhelmed communities along the U.S.-Mexico border increasingly rely on airlines to transport migrants to other cities where they have friends and family, and where Border Patrol often directs them to go for their immigration proceedings.
Groups working with migrants said the change caught them by surprise.
Migrants wondered if they could lose hundreds of dollars spent on non-refundable plane tickets after a group of migrants returned to a shelter in McAllen on Tuesday, saying they were turned away at the airport. Advocates exchanged messages trying to determine what the TSA’s new procedures were.
“It caused tremendous distress for people,” said Reverend Brian Strassburger, executive director of the Camino Border Ministry, a Texas group that provides humanitarian aid and advocates for migrants.
Strassburger said that previously, migrants could board flights with documents they received from Border Patrol.
A woman from Ecuador traveling with her son said she was able to board without issues on Wednesday after allowing agents to take her photograph at a TSA checkpoint.
Image: Voice of America
