FINE LINE

TSA: We Target Nationalities, Not Races

Head says Syria, Yemen are countries of focus.

Outgoing Transportation Security Administration Chief John Pistole said the agency targets passengers based on nationality and gender, but stressed that the practice should not be considered the same as racial profiling. “It’s not to use race to profile anybody, but it’s a way to identify people—particularly people flying internationally to the U.S.,” Pistole told the AP. “So somebody is, say, a Syrian citizen, that’s the issue. So it’s more nationality than race from our perspective.” In addition to Syria, Pistole named Yemen as another country from which passengers could raise fears about sneaking explosives onto airliners “based on current intelligence.” While Pistole stressed the difference between racial and national profiling, the latter may face government restrictions, as well. Last week, the Department of Justice released a new set of guidelines that prohibited federal agencies from profiling people based on national origin, in addition to other characteristics.