A startling Senate report has surfaced, accusing the Biden administration of strong-arming U.S. airports into housing migrants, despite clear risks to travelers and security protocols.
As reported by Fox News, the 47-page document, titled "Flight Risk," released by the Senate Commerce Committee, details how the White House allegedly directed the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to repurpose airport facilities as migrant shelters or processing hubs.
This push, according to the report, involved inventorying available spaces at federally owned and local airports, diverting resources to accommodate migrant arrivals. It’s a move that raises eyebrows when safety should be the top priority at these critical transit points.
Internal communications cited in the report reveal unease among federal staff, with one FAA official writing to Massport on Oct. 6, 2023, about an urgent White House request to identify facilities at or near airports. That urgency reeks of political expediency over practical sense, sidelining the very rules meant to keep our skies secure.
Another DOT employee’s blunt reaction, "Yikes, this is definitely Fox News fodder in the making," captures the skepticism within the ranks. If even insiders saw this as a PR disaster waiting to happen, why did the administration barrel ahead?
The report names 11 airports, including Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, and New York’s JFK, as targets for this policy, with pressure to house migrants in terminals and hangars. Ignoring federal grant-assurance rules, as the report claims FAA officials often did, suggests a troubling disregard for established safeguards.
Massport, which manages Boston Logan, pushed back, warning that their facilities weren’t equipped to handle migrant intake and that it could spark serious safety issues. Yet, the report notes Logan still sheltered up to 352 migrants overnight in Terminal E, costing nearly $780,000 for security and cleanup.
At Chicago O’Hare, the situation grew messier, with as many as 900 migrants housed in a shuttle terminal, leading to 329 police calls and 26 arrests over a 10-month span. Incidents of theft, disorderly conduct, and even a death investigation paint a picture of chaos that travelers shouldn’t have to navigate.
JFK Airport faced its own breach when an Ecuadorian migrant, Kleber Loor-Ponce, slipped past security into a restricted area near runways, carrying a box cutter and scissors. This isn’t just a slip-up; it’s a glaring red flag about vetting and oversight in a post-9/11 world.
Beyond airports, the report alleges DOT and its sub-agencies were roped into wider migrant-support efforts, like producing "Know Your Rights" pamphlets for bus passengers. Redirecting focus from core transportation missions to these tasks feels like a misstep when infrastructure and safety demand full attention.
The Federal Transit Administration was also nudged to remind local agencies that federal grants could fund migrant transport, per the report. This blending of humanitarian goals with transit policy muddies the waters, potentially shortchanging the public’s trust in how tax dollars are spent.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, didn’t mince words, stating, "This report exposes how the Biden Department of Transportation conspired with local leaders in New York, Boston, and Chicago to house migrants in airport facilities at taxpayer expense" (Fox News Digital). His charge that this policy enabled transport of unvetted individuals, including felons, through airports cuts to the heart of why many see this as a reckless overreach.
The Senate report concludes that these actions amounted to a "dangerous diversion" of transportation resources, compromising aviation security. When federal air marshals are pulled to border duties, as alleged, it’s hard not to question who’s minding the store in our skies.
Cruz added, "Their decisions to move illegal aliens through airports without identity checks, including individuals with felony records, reveal how Biden’s open border policy has used government agencies in ways that put Americans in danger." This is a serious claim that raises important questions about the administration's priorities and actions.
This saga isn’t just about misplaced priorities; it’s a wake-up call to rethink how federal power intersects with local realities at our nation’s gateways. If safety isn’t non-negotiable at airports, then we’ve lost the plot, and it’s time for policies that put American travelers first without apology.
