On Feb. 5, the Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the Trump administration, banned New York residents from enrolling in Trusted Traveler programs.

The US Customs and Border Protection agency outlines Trusted Traveler as being a program that allows low-risk travelers accelerated clearance through TSA checkpoints. Trusted Traveler requires an extensive background check and an in-person interview to be approved.

While the decision to suspend New Yorkers from Trusted Traveler is logically sound, it comes as a result from the wrong reasoning.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf explained in an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that this decision came as retaliation to the New York State government’s passing of the Green Light Law, which allows non-legal residents to obtain a New York driver’s license.

Wolf continued that the Green Light Law “compromises CBP’s ability to confirm whether an individual applying for TTP (Trusted Travel Program) membership meets program eligibility requirements.”

Transnational crime and terrorism have been on the rise for decades now, and any decrease in security at airports poses a potential threat to national security. TSA reported that from 2017 to 2018, the discovery of firearms increased by 7%. It further stated that “TSA screening procedures prevent prohibited items and other threats to transportation security from entering the sterile area of the airport.”

The efficiency of TSA and the safety of airplane passengers are compromised when travelers are allowed to bypass security screenings. Although the individuals cleared for Trusted Traveler are deemed low risk by the CBP, there is no guarantee that each traveler poses no threat unless they are appropriately screened for each flight they intend to board.

Consequently, the decision to limit the ability of travelers to obtain accelerated clearance is good and it should be required for all travelers to go through mandatory security screenings. This would bolster safety for airplane employees as well as passengers.

However, scrutiny of the Trump administration’s policy does not end there. The ban must be analyzed for both its reasons and its consequences. While the result of this ban will reduce crime, the reasoning behind this abrupt policy action is illegitimate because it was made in an effort to punish the state of New York.

The idea that the Green Light Law would undermine the effectiveness of the security measures taken when applying for Trusted Traveler is far-fetched, as there have not been in-depth investigations done to prove the legitimacy of the claim. This leads to the conclusion that this policy decision was made in an effort to coerce New York Governor Andrew Cuomo into repealing the Green Light Law, as corroborated by Wolf.

Coincidently, New York state officials came to the same conclusion and plan to sue the Trump administration over its decision.

The overarching theme of the Trump administration has been to administer good plans in a poorly thought-out manner, with this action being no exception. The necessity of proper airport security cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, the overall increase in safety is undermined when taking into consideration that the ban applies to only one state. With this in mind, it is clear that there are little benefits to be had from this ban besides to pressure a state government into wavering on already implemented policy.

I agree with the abolishment of programs such as Trusted Traveler in an effort to improve safety. I cannot entirely agree with retaliatory actions taken to hurt the state of New York for no reason other than to enact petty revenge on travelers with no power over public policy.

Adrianna San Marco is a freshman economics major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at asanmarc@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @adriannasanmarc.

Published on March 2, 2020 at 9:10 pm