Homeland Security investigating racial profiling at TSA

The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday its Inspector General is opening an investigation into racial profiling at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Headquarters in the Twin Cities. 

"We welcome this investigation and hope it results in the accountability and transparency needed to rebuild trust in the Minnesota TSA," said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein. "Racial and religious profiling is unconstitutional, immoral, ineffective, and undermines the core principals of our democracy."

The allegations come from TSA’s assistant federal security director Drew Rhoades, who said last week he was asked to match Somali-American visitors to TSA Headquarters near the Mall of America against watch lists maintained by DHS, including the “No-Fly List.” The allegations appeared to be substantiated by a performance review of Rhoades written by his direct supervisor, Deputy Federal Security Director David McMahon.

Rhoades, who was TSA’s liaison to the Somali community in Minnesota, says after he visited a local mosque his boss, Federal Security Director Cliff Van Leuven, accused him of “going native.”

In announcing the investigation, DHS said it would make public the results of its investigation.

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