Biden admin forced airports to house migrants, risk safety: bombshell Senate report
The Biden administration has come under fire for allegedly pressuring US airports to house migrants, despite warnings that it could compromise safety and put travelers at risk. A recent Senate report titled “Flight Risk” revealed that the White House directed various departments, including the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to find airport facilities for shelters or processing centers for migrants.
According to the report, the administration instructed DOT and FAA to inventory available facilities at both federally owned and local airports and to divert federal resources to support migrant arrivals. Internal emails cited in the report showed concern among staff members, with one FAA official expressing the urgency of the request from the White House.
The report identified at least 11 airports, including Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, and New York’s JFK, that were asked or pressured to house migrants inside terminals, hangars, or auxiliary buildings. FAA officials acknowledged that such use would typically require federal approval under grant-assurance rules but often ignored them when airports used their facilities to house migrants.
One example highlighted in the report was Boston Logan hosting up to 352 migrants overnight in Terminal E, despite warnings from Massport that they were not designed or resourced to manage the intake of migrant populations. Similarly, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport housed as many as 900 migrants in a shuttle terminal, leading to numerous service calls and arrests for theft, disorderly conduct, and other offenses.
The report also mentioned a security breach at JFK Airport in 2024, where an individual ran past a security post into the secure area towards two runways. The individual was apprehended with a box cutter and pair of scissors in his possession.
Beyond airports, the report revealed that DOT and its sub-agencies were directed to assist in other migrant-support operations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was tasked with producing a “Know Your Rights” pamphlet for bus passengers, while the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) was encouraged to remind local transit agencies that federal grants could be used to move migrants.
In conclusion, the Senate committee found that these directives represented a dangerous diversion of federal transportation resources. Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, criticized the Biden administration for coopting government agencies to put American citizens at risk with their open border policy. The report shed light on how the administration’s decisions compromised airport security and endangered travelers.
