A daughter of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said she experienced a “ridiculously invasive” pat-down at an airport security checkpoint on Thursday and suggested her father would limit or eliminate the Transportation Security Administration if it were in his jurisdiction.
Evita Duffy-Alfonso said on social platform She said she waited 15 minutes to be searched and that TSA agents were “rude” and “tried to force” her through the scanner.
“This is all for an unconstitutional agency that is not good at doing its job,” she said.
The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement Friday that it was aware of Duffy-Alfonso’s complaint.
“The Transportation Security Administration takes complaints about airport security procedures seriously and investigates complaints thoroughly to ensure proper procedures are applied,” the agency said.
Duffy-Alfonso said in another post that her father would “radically limit” or “lobby Congress to abolish” the TSA if it were under his control.
Duffy’s Department of Transportation controls the Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for all major modes of transportation, including air travel. But the Transportation Security Administration is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
The TSA is responsible for screening passengers, luggage and cargo for weapons or explosives. It was created after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
“The ‘golden age of transportation’ can only begin if TSA disappears,” Duffy-Alfonso said, referring to her father’s broad campaign to make travel more family-friendly and revive what he calls the “golden age of travel,” including a recent campaign to encourage passengers to dress more formally when flying.
The U.S. Department of Transportation declined to comment Friday on Duffy-Alfonso’s complaint to the Transportation Security Administration.
In a follow-up post by
Passengers can request a private screening in lieu of a full-body scanner, according to the TSA. The agency warns on its website that “sufficient pressure must be applied to ensure detection” as “pat-down searches are conducted to determine whether prohibited items are concealed under clothing.”
