Feds quietly drop ‘interdiction’ program that demanded to inspect travelers’ bags
The federal government quietly has discontinued an “interdiction” program that demanded travelers allow agents to rummage through their luggage.
The extent of the program’s reach was revealed in a video posted online by the Institute for Justice a few months ago.
The video has gotten millions of views and that organization now is suing over the activity.
It also confirmed in a new announcement that the Drug Enforcement Administration quietly, last week, confirmed it was shutting down the program, called the Transportation Interdiction Program.
“The program’s ‘consensual encounters’ with travelers were suspended by the Department of Justice in November after the release of a critical Office of Inspector General (OIG) report. That report was in response to a video showing a traveler’s confrontation with DEA agents released by the Institute for Justice (IJ) in July,” the organization explained.
“We welcome this much-needed policy change, which will help protect the rights of travelers from the abuses so many have suffered while flying. TIP encouraged DEA agents to prey on people who were flying with cash, even though doing so is perfectly legal,” said IJ lawyer Dan Alban.
“But agency policies can be changed at any time, by any administration. We once again call on Congress to pass the FAIR Act to permanently reform federal civil forfeiture laws that encourage and enable this bad behavior.
“FAIR would end the profit incentive, close the equitable sharing loophole, and guarantee every property owner receives their day in court by ending so-called administrative forfeitures,” he said.
It was DEA chief Anne Milgram who issued the memo, explaining the DEA considered the effectiveness of the program and found it resulted in few arrests or drug cases.
“The ‘consensual encounters’ used by the DEA agents at airports and other transportation hubs were often based only on a flyer’s purchase of a last-minute ticket, hardly a sign that someone is engaged in criminal conduct,” the IJ explained.
The IJ’s video featured David C., who recorded the agent taking his baggage without permission and searching it.
The IJ said its legal action is against the DEA and Transportation Security Administration over the government’s airport seizure and forfeiture practices.