Airports to Get Tougher Screening in Aftermath of Christmas Attack

Passengers traveling to the U.S. from or by way of certain countries on the U.S. government’s naughty list, which includes Yemen and Cuba, will be subject to “enhanced screening” starting Monday. Additionally, international travelers will experience increased random checks and possibly certain “enhanced screening technologies.”

That probably means the kind of body scanners that have been controversial (they let screeners see your boy-girl parts) but have encountered little resistance among travelers since the failed terror attack on Christmas Day.

Some enhanced measures will have to be carried out at the point of departure, since, as the Transportation Security Administration acknowledges, “effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders.” After all, it’s a little late to search a terrorism suspect when he or she lands in your country.

But that raises a question: If you consider a country such as Cuba or Syria to be a state sponsor of terror, how exactly do you trust it to keep terrorists off planes traveling through its airports?

The BBC has the story here. TSA statement here. — PZS