Current:Home > NewsMigrants lacking passports must now submit to facial recognition to board flights in US-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Migrants lacking passports must now submit to facial recognition to board flights in US
View Date:2024-12-24 00:30:23
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The U.S. government has started requiring migrants without passports to submit to facial recognition technology to take domestic flights under a change that prompted confusion this week among immigrants and advocacy groups in Texas.
It is not clear exactly when the change took effect, but several migrants with flights out of South Texas on Tuesday told advocacy groups that they thought they were being turned away. The migrants included people who had used the government’s online appointment system to pursue their immigration cases. Advocates were also concerned about migrants who had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally before being processed by Border Patrol agents and released to pursue their immigration cases.
The Transportation Security Administration told The Associated Press on Thursday that migrants without proper photo identification who want to board flights must submit to facial recognition technology to verify their identity using Department of Homeland Security records.
“If TSA cannot match their identity to DHS records, they will also be denied entry into the secure areas of the airport and will be denied boarding,” the agency said.
Agency officials did not say when TSA made the change, only that it was recent and not in response to a specific security threat.
It’s not clear how many migrants might be affected. Some have foreign passports.
Migrants and strained communities on the U.S.-Mexico border have become increasingly dependent on airlines to get people to other cities where they have friends and family and where Border Patrol often orders them to go to proceed with their immigration claims.
Groups that work with migrants said the change caught them off guard. Migrants wondered if they might lose hundreds of dollars spent on nonrefundable tickets. After group of migrants returned to a shelter in McAllen on Tuesday, saying they were turned away at the airport, advocates exchanged messages trying to figure out what the new TSA procedures were.
“It caused a tremendous amount of distress for people,” said the Rev. Brian Strassburger, the executive director of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries, a group in Texas that provides humanitarian aid and advocacy for migrants.
Strassburger said that previously migrants were able to board flights with documents they had from Border Patrol.
One Ecuadorian woman traveling with her child told the AP she was able to board easily on Wednesday after allowing officers to take a photo of her at the TSA checkpoint.
___
Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
veryGood! (47641)
Related
- 15 new movies you'll want to stream this holiday season, from 'Emilia Perez' to 'Maria'
- NFL Week 18 schedule set with game times for final Saturday, Sunday of regular season
- See New Year's Eve store hours for Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, Publix, Aldi, more
- 'We'll leave the light on for you': America's last lighthouse keeper is leaving her post
- What is best start in NBA history? Five teams ahead of Cavaliers' 13-0 record
- Not all New Year's Eve parties are loud and crowded. 'Sensory-friendly' events explained.
- UFL (the XFL-USFL merger) aims to not join long line of failed start-up pro football leagues
- 3 arrested in connection with death of off-duty police officer in North Carolina
- Jennifer Lopez Gets Loud in Her First Onstage Appearance Amid Ben Affleck Divorce
- Dolphins' Raheem Mostert out against Ravens as injuries mount for Miami
Ranking
- To Protect the Ozone Layer and Slow Global Warming, Fertilizers Must Be Deployed More Efficiently, UN Says
- What's open on New Year's Eve? Stores, restaurants and fast food places ringing in 2024 with open doors.
- PGA Tour updates players on negotiations with investors, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund as deadline extends into 2024
- Pistons beat Raptors 129-127 to end NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games
- Stressing over Election Day? Try these apps and tools to calm your nerves
- Dolphins' Raheem Mostert out against Ravens as injuries mount for Miami
- Conor McGregor says he's returning at International Fight Week to face Michael Chandler
- Washington Law Attempts to Fill the Void in Federal Regulation of Hazardous Chemicals
Recommendation
-
Louisiana mom arrested for making false kidnapping report after 'disagreement' with son
-
Up First briefing: Life Kit has 50 ways to change your life in 2024
-
Ex-Florida QB Jalen Kitna is headed to UAB after serving probation
-
Conor McGregor says he's returning at International Fight Week to face Michael Chandler
-
Daniele Rustioni to become Metropolitan Opera’s principal guest conductor
-
Dave Chappelle goes after disabled community in 'The Dreamer': 'I love punching down'
-
Your New Year's Eve TV Guide 2024: How to Watch 'Rockin Eve,' 'Nashville's Big Bash,' more
-
Gymnast Shilese Jones Reveals How Her Late Father Sylvester Is Inspiring Her Road to the Olympics