Criminal background checks, no non-citizens on airport security

ATLANTA: The Southeastern Legal Foundation today called on federal lawmakers to focus on law enforcement, not federalization, relating to the current airport security bill making its way through Congress. SLF has been pursuing national immigration reform and enforcement and opposing the issuance of driver's licenses to illegal aliens in several states.

"Any national security measures, whether directed toward U.S. air travel or not, must be laser-focused on the main problem - illegal aliens and terrorist-related activity," said Phil Kent, SLF President. "Federalizing airport security checkers is bad business for the American taxpayer, and is merely a band-aid on a compound fracture. Instead, lawmakers should be focused on the ease with which illegal aliens enter our borders via airports, and should be prepared to grant strong enforcement powers to INS and U.S. Customs agents to get the job done."

"Although airport security checkers should not be federalized, the private companies providing the service should be held to stricter standards, including mandatory criminal background checks of their employees," said Kent. "As we have seen at several major U.S. airports, some private companies are also terminating non-citizens as security personnel - a major step toward ensuring accountability among airport security providers."

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