Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado criticized the Biden-Harris administration's policies that "carelessly" permit government agencies to facilitate the transportation of illegal migrants in a letter obtained exclusively by Blaze News Wednesday.
In the letter, addressed to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, TSA Administrator David Pekoske, and ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner, Boebert expressed her concern for American citizens' safety in light of the surge of migrants entering the country illegally.
'The lack of leadership and inability to secure our borders shows that the current administration has continuously put illegal aliens first, and Americans last,' the letter reads.
Boebert also called out the Biden-Harris administration for "carelessly permitting migrants" to utilize various informal kinds of identification while applying a separate, more stringent version of identification to Americans, according to the letter. In a surfaced video, a TSA agent explains that migrants use a "different process on a need-to-know basis."
"As an influx of illegal aliens continues to infiltrate our border, the safety and security of American citizens is put at an all-time risk," the letter reads.
"At a bare minimum, the rules that apply to American citizens should also apply to illegal immigrants, particularly regarding identification," the letter continues.
Currently, there are over 13,000 illegal aliens convicted of homicide, nearly 16,000 convicted of sexual assault, and over 425,000 total "non-detained, noncitizen convicted criminals" walking free in the United States under the Biden-Harris administration, according to the letter. Additionally, there have been two million migrant "getaways," 1.7 million migrants with final removal orders, and seven million on the non-detained docket.
In light of these details, Boebert pressed the federal agencies to explain how these migrants are being transported, why TSA is assisting them, as well as whether their travel is taxpayer-funded.
"These illegals pose a direct threat to the safety and security of Americans," the letter reads. "Instead of securing our border and nation, these illegals are further infiltrating our nation as they are unlawfully flown around across the United States with federal funding."
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Independent journalist Matt Taibbi just confirmed a whistleblower report alleging former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard was placed on a terror watc hlist under the “Open Skies” program.
The whistleblower from the report in UndercoverDC, Sonya Hightower LaBosco, joins Jill Savage and the “Blaze News Tonight” panel to discuss the implications of such a shocking situation.
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“How does an Army Reserve officer like Tulsi Gabbard suddenly end up on a terror watch list?” asks Jill.
“We still don't know how Ms. Gabbard and her husband were placed on this terrorist watch,” says LaBosco, adding, “we’re internally in the Federal Air Marshal service; we have Federal Air Marshals deployed all over the world and domestically, and there's no one within the agency that can answer that question.”
However, LaBosco speculates that the decision to place Gabbard and her husband on the list was a means of political warfare.
“We've been blowing the whistle on TSA for putting people on a watch list because of their political opinions,” she tells Jill, noting that her opinion is that “[Tulsi] has been targeted” because of “how vocal she’s been” regarding the Biden-Harris administration’s “absurd policies.”
Jill then plays a clip of an interview Gabbard did with Chris Williamson on the “Modern Wisdom Podcast,” during which she said:
President Biden has not been the guy calling the shots. He has not been the guy making the decisions, nor has it been Kamala Harris for that matter, nor will it be if she is elected president. It is this cabal of, you know, the Democrat elite, the the woke war mongers made up of the likes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and, you know, Tony Blinken and Jake Sullivan, and you know, people who are in the military-industrial complex — people who profit from us being in a constant state of war. It is those in the administrative state, in the national security state who derive more authorities and ability to take away our liberty when we are in a heightened state of crisis.
Jill cites the First Amendment as proof that Tulsi is well within her right to say this, however angry it may make the politicians she outed.
“We do have a Constitution,” LaBosca says, “but unfortunately, unelected bureaucrats at TSA are trying to enforce this unconstitutional policy on Ms. Gabbard, her husband, and many others.”
Blaze Media’s editor in chief, Matthew Peterson, asks, “What exactly do we know about the criteria by which they place people on the 'Quiet Skies' list? … Do they actually have set criteria that allow them to go after political opponents?”
“TSA is going to say that she or her husband or someone in her connections violated an algorithm or a rule,” says LaBosco, “but there's also one other thing that can happen — if you get sideways at the airport with anyone in the airport in TSA ... they can go in and issue you status on this list.”
Will Gabbard’s name being on the list really have an impact on her life, though?
Apparently, the answer is: possibly.
“Once you're placed on this terrorist watch list, this can go out to local law enforcement” and “create a lot of bad things” when, for example, “you get pulled over for a traffic stop.”
According to reports, until recently, Gabbard was unaware that there were “two explosive detective K-9 teams, one transportation security specialist for the explosives, one plainclothes TSA supervisor, and three Federal Air Marshals on every flight she [boarded].”
To learn more about the situation, watch the episode above.
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Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) revealed Friday to nationally syndicated radio host and co-founder of Blaze Media Glenn Beck precisely how devastated she was to learn that the Harris administration may be surveilling her via a program designed to identify and monitor potential terrorists.
While she feels personally betrayed — having enlisted in the military in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, countering extremism across three war zones — Gabbard expressed concern that her family could be at risk and that she is "not the only veteran or service member who they have chosen to put on this list."
"This goes against the core of our First Amendment, which our founders intentionally put in place to ensure our protected speech, whether we be praising the government or we be criticizing our government," said Gabbard. "That is core to the founding of who we are as a country."
Several Federal Air Marshal whistleblowers recently came forward with information indicating that Gabbard may be enrolled in the Transportation Security Administration's Quiet Skies program.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Quiet Skies program adds "another layer of risk-based security by identifying individuals who may pose an elevated security risk in addition to individuals on other watch lists maintained by the Federal government, so that TSA can take appropriate actions to address and mitigate that risk."
UncoverDC reported that the whistleblowers initially shared evidence of Gabbard's placement on what is effectively a terror watch list with Sonya LaBosco, executive director of the Air Marshal National Council. LaBosco subsequently revealed at least one of the marshals is willing to go on the record with the relevant evidence.
'They see those of us who rightly criticize our governments, and their corruption, and their abuse of power, as a domestic threat.'
Unbeknownst to Gabbard — at least until this week — every time she got on an airplane, there with her were two explosive detection canine teams, a transportation security specialist, a plainclothes TSA supervisor, and three Federal Air Marshals, said Bosco.
When pressed on allegations about Gabbard's listing, a TSA spokesman recently told investigative reporter Matt Taibbi:
TSA uses multi-layered security processes to protect the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA's Quiet Skies program uses a risk-based approach to identify passengers and apply enhanced security measures on some domestic and outbound international flights.
The spokesman added, "To safeguard sensitive national security measures, TSA does not confirm or deny whether any individual has matched to a risk-based rule. These rules are applied to a limited number of travelers for a limited period of time. Simply matching to a risk-based rule does not constitute derogatory information about an individual."
There has been speculation that Gabbard's criticism of the Washington establishment's reflexive interventionism and her departure from the Democratic Party may have prompted her alleged enrollment in Quiet Skies program. Gabbard is also unlikely to have made friends in the current administration by tanking Kamala Harris' presidential bid in 2020.
While mystified by "their insane, tyrannical thinking," Gabbard told Beck that her targeting by the Democratic administration would be par for the course given that "we've already seen proof over these last four years ... they will weaponize any levers of power they have within the government to go after those who they deem to be a threat to their power, who they deem to be a political opponent."
Beck alluded to failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's Oct. 17, 2019, smear against Gabbard, when she suggested Gabbard is "the favorite of the Russians. ... Yeah, she's a Russian asset."
"They see those of us who rightly criticize our governments, and their corruption, and their abuse of power, as a domestic threat," continued Gabbard. "They say so publicly. They say, 'Hey, those who criticize public institutions may be domestic extremists or terrorists.'"
In recent years, it has taken a whole lot less than criticism of the state to warrant suspicion as a potential domestic terrorist.
For instance, Blaze News reported late last year on a report from the House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government indicating that the FBI "abused its counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists."
"The only assumption that I can make is that they're coming after me because of my speaking the truth and revealing who they really are," Gabbard told Beck.
The former congresswoman indicated that the possibility of her enrollment in Quiet Skies is already having a chilling effect — that she now faces the "constant stress of knowing that I am being surveilled by my government and wondering if and how they are doing that. How are they monitoring my movement? Are they listening to my phone calls? Are they reading my emails and text messages?"
Gabbard emphasized that it is impossible to live freely under the thumb of a regime that has "no hesitation in weaponizing whatever they can get their hands on."
Such a state of play is reminiscent of "the Stalin approach," she added. "Find me the man, and I'll tell you the crime."
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U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who penned a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske Thursday regarding the veracity of the whistleblowers' claims, said he found the allegations "profoundly troubling."
Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, indicated that his outfit is "launching a multipronged legal effort not only to defend Tulsi Gabbard but to defeat the weaponization of government against conservatives, our military, and the free speech of all Americans once and for all."
The ACLJ intends to file Freedom of Information Act requests with the TSA, the DHS, and the FBI, seeking answers about Gabbard's alleged targeting.
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Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) mistakenly carried an unloaded gun in her suitcase while she went through airport security, her office indicated, according to reports.
"Last Friday, Rep. Spartz accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase with no magazine or bullets, which she did not realize was in the pocket of her suitcase, while going through security at Dulles airport. Rep. Spartz was issued a citation and proceeded on her international flight to the OSCE PA meeting in Europe," a statement reads, according to wishtv.com.
'I will always stand strong for 2nd Amendment rights for all law-abiding Americans!'
"TSA officers at IAD detected a .380 caliber firearm during passenger security screening. The firearm was unloaded and in the individual's carry-on bag," a Transportation Security Administration spokesperson noted, according to CNN.
A Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson informed Axios that "Victoria Spartz, 45, of Noblesville, IN, was charged on Friday, June 28 with a weapons violation at Dulles Airport."
Spartz, an immigrant who grew up in Ukraine, has served in Congress since 2021.
"As someone who grew up under tyranny, I understand that our 2nd Amendment is second for a reason – to protect all other rights. I will always stand strong for 2nd Amendment rights for all law-abiding Americans!" she declared in a tweet earlier this year.
Last year, Spartz announced that she would not run for office in 2024, but she reversed course and went on to win her Republican primary in Indiana's 5th Congressional District earlier this year.
GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has previously said the TSA should be abolished.
"It's time to abolish the TSA. Airlines can and will secure their own planes if a federal agency doesn’t do it for them. They'll do it better than TSA, without undermining the Constitution and with less groping—showing more respect for passengers," he tweeted in March.
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As government entities and corporations celebrate the LGBT movement in June by recognizing so-called Pride Month, the FBI and other government entities have joined the chorus.
"At the #FBI, we know that diversity makes us stronger. During #PrideMonth, the FBI celebrates our #LGBTQIA+ colleagues’ contributions to our country and our mission," an FBI post on X declares.
'This Pride Month, we thank LGBTQ+ Service members for their contributions to our national security.'
While Blaze News has previously noted that the Defense Department posted about Pride Month, the Navy has shared a post that reads, "Charting a course for equality. Celebrate with the #USNavy this #PrideMonth!"
The Air Force and Space Force both retweeted a post from Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin's that reads, "This Pride Month, we thank LGBTQ+ Service members for their contributions to our national security. As Secretary of Defense, I remain dedicated to making sure that our LGBTQ personnel across the Joint Force can continue to serve with dignity and respect. We applaud your service – and thank your spouses and families who help make that service possible."
The Transportation Security Administration hoisted what appears to be a progress Pride flag outside of its headquarters.
"Each #PrideMonth, we have the incredible opportunity to honor & celebrate our LGBTQI+ workforce. Today, Deputy Administrator Canevari & TSA Pride raised the pride flag outside of @TSA HQ to show our support for & solidarity with this community. Our diversity makes us stronger," TSA Administrator David Pekoske tweeted.
The Department of Homeland Security also posted about Pride Month: "June marks Pride Month, a time to celebrate the many contributions of our LGBTQIA+ workforce and stand with the community – our community – throughout the month and every day. #WeAreDHS #Pride2024"
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Warhawk and former National Security Adviser John Bolton asked the deep state on Wednesday to deep-six former Hawaii Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and former Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz because their nominations to President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet threaten the establishment. Trump tapped Gaetz to serve as attorney general and Gabbard to serve as director of […]
The IG report is the latest evidence that America’s illegal immigration crisis is the direct result of Biden and Harris' policies.
Neither CBP nor ICE ‘could determine how many of the millions of noncitizens seeking entry in the United States each year entered without’ ID.
'Taken together, these incidents seem to be part of a broader pattern' of misconduct, the Kentucky lawmaker wrote to the TSA administrator.
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