In the post-9/11 world in which Americans now find themselves, flying is not simple anymore. But has airport security gone too far in the other direction? Have airport security officials become engaged in racial profiling in the name of homeland security?
For travelers of Arab descent attempting to travel in and around the United States, the answer is clearly yes: racial profiling by airport security is a real problem. Despite federal regulations against it, the settlement of ethnic profiling lawsuits by major airlines, the apparent practice of profiling by U.S. Customs agents against Arabs of varying origins, and even against Arab Americans with impeccable backgrounds are all proof that racial profiling exists in the airline industry and that it is a real problem facing airport security officials in their attempt to make America a safer place to be.
Racial profiling in airports has become a significant problem in America. So much so that, in a lawsuit settlement, Delta Airlines, Inc. has agreed to spend $900,000 for worker civil rights training after U.S. regulators "found the carrier improperly kept off flights some travelers perceived as Arab, Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian or Muslim." As reported by Bloomberg (2004) in the Detroit Free Press, Delta Airlines denies it violated federal law, saying they did not discriminate against any passengers. The Transportation Department's consent order, however, was quoted in the article as saying, "Some passengers were denied boarding or removed from flights because of their ethnicity." This is the fourth such settlement for racial profiling in airport security. There have also been settlements with American Airlines and United Airlines for $1.5 million each in training and with Continental Airlines Inc. for $500,000.
U.S. Customs agents in airports appear to be consistently, and unfairly, profiling Arabs, regardless of their points of origin. Just a few weeks ago, P...