Sen. Ossoff Launches Inquiry into Unprompted Searches of Travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Unprompted Federal searches of travelers have disproportionately targeted Black travelers,according to a recent media investigation

Atlanta, Ga. -- U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is demanding answers about unprompted searches of travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Today, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram into reports of unprompted questioning and searches of travelers through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that reportedly disproportionately target Black travelers, even after they clear security.

Atlanta News First's investigation, "In Plane Sight," uncovered that "passengers selected for what the government calls 'random, consensual encounters' are actually profiled by the drug agents who search Black men far more often than any other group of passengers."

"I write to inquire into Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) involvement in and oversight of unprompted questioning and searches of travelers who have already cleared airport security as they board flights in Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport," Sen. Ossoff wrote to Garland and Milgram. "I am particularly concerned that Black travelers may be disproportionately targeted for these encounters. This is especially alarming because, according to a 2015 Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report, DEA did not have evidence to show that these encounters are effective in identifying and addressing criminal activity."

A 2015 Office of the Inspector General report found the DOJ itself has concluded that "racial profiling is more often associated with [cold consent] encounters than with encounters based on previously acquired information."

Atlanta News First's investigation specifically found that of the more than 360 travelers stopped by local law enforcement on or around jetways in Atlanta over a 17-month period in 2020 and 2021, two-thirds were people of color, and 54% were Black. Approximately 46% of the encounters were directed at Black men.

As part of his inquiry, Sen. Ossoff is asking the DOJ and DEA for an update on DEA's use and oversight of cold consent encounters, as well as its implementation of OIG's 2015 recommendations.

Click here to read Sen. Ossoff's inquiry.

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