Why I voted NO on Trump’s TSA Administrator nominee

Recently, at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, masked, plain-clothed ICE officers – without any identification – attempted to violently arrest an elderly man before running off following public intervention. It was later reported that the man had no outstanding warrants.

This incident raises a lot of serious questions about how ICE agents are continuing to act with impunity. Actions like this public, violent arrest attempt instill fear in our communities and scare away tourists – further hurting Nevada’s economy.

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In light of the fact that this arrest attempt occurred at one of our airports, I demanded answers from David Cummins, Trump’s nominee to become TSA Administrator, given that the TSA has authority of security at our airports. Here are the questions I asked him:

1. Mr. Cummins, we know that TSA has entered into an information sharing agreement with ICE. Does this agreement require proof from ICE that the individuals they are requesting information about have active warrants against them? If you are confirmed, and if the agreement does not require evidence from ICE, will you commit to requiring ICE to provide evidence of an active warrant before information is shared or before TSA assists in ICE enforcement actions in airports?
   

2. Does TSA have any policy regarding how law enforcement agencies are to identify themselves when they are in airports or when attempting to take enforcement actions in airports? If not, how would you address this if confirmed?
   

3. Does ICE agents failing to identify themselves or masking their identities with face coverings jeopardize passengers’ safety and security? Would you allow this if confirmed?
   

4. I know that you were a long time Senior Vice President at Serco, who are contracted with the Government to provide training to ICE officers. To your knowledge, has Serco in the past or currently trained ICE agents on how to conceal or mask their identities?

As you can see, I asked him about what he would do in the position of TSA Administrator if confirmed. His answer to each one of these questions?

“Currently, I am not privy to that information.”

As someone nominated to run the federal agency in charge of security at our nation’s airports, Mr. Cummins needs to commit to preventing abuses like the one we saw last week in the future.

Unfortunately, he refused to make that commitment. As a result, I voted against his confirmation in committee to be TSA Administrator.

I will continue to demand answers from the Department of Homeland Security and do all I can to hold ICE accountable for these outrageous abuses of power that make our community less safe. ICE cannot continue to act with impunity as senior members of this Administration stand by silently.

I look forward to keeping you updated on my work. You can also contact my office, find me on X, Facebook, Bluesky, or Instagram, or sign up for my e-newsletter for more information.

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