FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Monday, August 13, 2012

KEATING CALLS FOR HEARING ON RACIAL PROFILING IN LOGAN AIRPORT

Washington, DC - Rep. Bill Keating, the Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security’s Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee, is calling for a Subcommittee Hearing to investigate the accusations of racial profiling at Boston Logan International Airport.

"There is no place for racial or ethnic profiling in our security policies, period," said Rep. Keating. "These are serious accusations that urgently need to be investigated.  Last year, there was a Congressional Subcommittee Field Hearing at Logan, which highlighted that the airport’s security policies are some of the best in the country.  If TSA officers, however, have evidence of racial profiling, this needs to be addressed immediately since the Logan program is the vanguard and model for the entire country.

“The behavioral detection program if implemented properly offers another level of security that technological screening cannot.  However, if the program is skewed by racial profiling, it is not only illegal; it undercuts the effectiveness of the program itself.

“It has been reported that the TSA is investigating these claims, but in matters of civil rights being violated, the investigation shouldn't be left to the agency itself.” 

Rep. Keating has also sent a formal letter to the Subcommittee’s Chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, requesting a hearing on this issue as soon as Congress reconvenes in September.