Airport Profiling is Racial Discrimination
False Assumption: Airport security must avoid profiling Arab or Middle Eastern-looking travelers to prevent racial discrimination and disparate impact.
Written by FARAgent on February 11, 2026
In October 2000, Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush denounced ethnic profiling of Arabs at airports during a debate with Al Gore. He aimed to win swing state Michigan's Arab-American votes and conflated airport security suspicions with other policies. Arab-American groups endorsed him days later.
On September 11, 2001, ticket agent Michael Tuohey checked in 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta despite chills from his appearance, first-class one-way tickets, and demeanor. Tuohey gave himself a 'politically correct slap' and cleared him. The Bush Administration continued opposing profiling, with Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta insisting procedures avoid race-based disparate impact on minorities.
In January 2002, 86-year-old Medal of Honor winner Joe Foss faced extended hassling at Phoenix airport security over his medal, cowboy boots, and one-way ticket. Critics noted the irony of stringent checks on unlikely suspects while avoiding Arab profiling. Growing recognition emerged that anti-profiling dogma compromised security, though debates persist on balancing civil rights and risks.
People Involved
- In October 2000, during a presidential debate, George W. Bush called out airport profiling of Arabs as racial discrimination. He aimed to win over Arab-American voters in Michigan. [1]
- Norman Mineta, who became Bush's Transportation Secretary, pushed for security rules that ignored race, ethnicity, or any disparate impact on Arabs and Muslims. He acted in good faith to uphold anti-profiling measures. [1]
- At the airport in Portland, Maine, on September 11, 2001, ticket agent Michael Tuohey eyed 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta with suspicion. Atta's appearance and one-way first-class ticket raised alarms. Tuohey later said he talked himself out of it, bound by political correctness against profiling. [1]
- Months later, in January 2002, security at Phoenix airport detained 86-year-old Joseph J. Foss, a Medal of Honor winner from World War II and former governor. They grilled him for 45 minutes over his medal, even after he explained its meaning. Foss became a symbol of the policy's overreach. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (4)
“On Oct. 11, 2000, during the second presidential debate, the Republican candidate attacked two anti-terrorist policies that had long irritated Arab citizens of the U.S. … Bush said during the nationally televised debate, "Arab-Americans are racially profiled in what's called secret evidence. People are stopped, and we got to do something about that."”— Great moments in ID-checking
“Bush's Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has said that "the security procedures are not based on the race, ethnicity, religion or gender of passengers" Yet, the system is widely believed to use other information - such as whether the traveler is going to or coming from the Middle East - that tends to "disparately impact" Arab and Muslims… Secretary Mineta said, "We also want to assure that in practice, the system does not disproportionately select members of any particular minority group."”— Great moments in ID-checking
“"I got an instant chill when I looked at [Atta]. I got this grip in my stomach and then, of course, I gave myself a political correct slap...I thought, 'My God, Michael, these are just a couple of Arab businessmen.'" ... "I said to myself, 'If this guy doesn't look like an Arab terrorist, then nothing does.' Then I gave myself a mental slap, because in this day and age, it's not nice to say things like this," he said.”— Great moments in ID-checking
“Airline security personnel at Phoenix’s international airport questioned a retired general and war hero about the Medal of Honor he was carrying before he boarded a flight to Washington, D.C. ... “I kept explaining that it was the highest medal you can receive from the military in this country, but nobody listened,” he said. ... “I was held up for 45 minutes, while they decided what to do about the medal.”— Great moments in ID-checking
Organizations Involved
The Bush Administration took the anti-profiling idea and ran with it after 9/11. They launched studies on disparate impact at Detroit airport and spoke out against any system that hit Arabs harder, even if not based on race. [1] Civil rights groups added pressure. They compared 'Flying While Arab' to 'Driving While Black' and lobbied hard. Their efforts swayed Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft to ban racial profiling outright. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“To ensure that no disparate impact is occurring, the Bush Administration carried out in June a three-week study, first planned by the Clinton Administration, of whether or not profiling at the Detroit airport disparately impacts Arabs… Nonetheless, the Bush Administration publicly agrees with the civil rights organizations that even a nonracial airport profiling system that had merely a disparate impact on Arabs and Muslims would be objectionable.”— Great moments in ID-checking
“According to a spokesperson for a leading Arab-American organization, people of Arab descent are stopped and searched at airports more often than many other ethnic groups. Some refer to this as Flying While Arab or Flying While Muslim. These terms are intended as plays on the popular phrase "Driving While Black," which is widely used to criticize police departments for stopping more black than white motorists.”— Great moments in ID-checking
The Foundation
The assumption rested on the view that profiling, even if not directly racial, became discriminatory if it affected Arabs or Muslims more. People linked it to wider issues, like secret evidence in immigration cases. This seemed reasonable at the time, tied to civil rights concerns. [1] Growing evidence now suggests this foundation was flawed, though the debate continues.
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“In the debate, Bush conflated two separate policies that Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans felt discriminate against them: the heightened suspicions faced by Middle Eastern-looking travelers at airport security checkpoints and the government's use of "secret evidence" in immigration hearings of suspected terrorists.”— Great moments in ID-checking
How It Spread
The idea gained traction in the 2000 presidential debate when Bush denounced profiling. The Arab-American Political Action Committee endorsed him soon after. [1] Bush officials and civil rights advocates kept pushing it. Media outlets picked up the phrase 'Flying While Arab' and ran with it, drawing parallels to 'Driving While Black.' This framing spread through public talk and shaped how people saw airport security. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“Yet, despite Bush's confusion, Arab-Americans appreciated his gesture. Four days after the debate, the Arab-American Political Action Committee endorsed Bush.”— Great moments in ID-checking
“Some refer to this as Flying While Arab or Flying While Muslim. These terms are intended as plays on the popular phrase "Driving While Black," which is widely used to criticize police departments for stopping more black than white motorists.”— Great moments in ID-checking
Resulting Policies
In June 2001, the Bush Administration ordered a study at Detroit airport. It looked at how profiling might unfairly target Arabs, even indirectly. This showed their dedication to stamping out any ethnic slant in security. [1] The policy aimed to keep checks neutral, no matter the impact on certain groups.
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“To ensure that no disparate impact is occurring, the Bush Administration carried out in June a three-week study, first planned by the Clinton Administration, of whether or not profiling at the Detroit airport disparately impacts Arabs.”— Great moments in ID-checking
Harm Caused
On September 11, 2001, the anti-profiling mindset let Mohammed Atta slip through. Despite clear warning signs, agent Tuohey held back, and Atta boarded his flight. This lapse played a role in the attacks that followed. [1] After 9/11, the rules led to pointless hassles. Security wasted 45 minutes on Joe Foss and his medal, pulling focus from real threats. [1] Increasingly, these incidents are seen as evidence of the assumption's flaws, though not everyone agrees.
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“On September 11, 2001, Tuohey, a ticket agent for U.S. Airways, checked in terrorist Mohammed Atta for a flight that started a chain of events that would change history.”— Great moments in ID-checking
““I was held up for 45 minutes, while they decided what to do about the medal. I almost missed my flight, as they went back and forth,” he said.”— Great moments in ID-checking
Downfall
The 9/11 attacks laid bare the problems. Agent Tuohey confessed that political correctness stopped him from acting on his gut about Atta. [1] In January 2002, the detention of Joe Foss over his medal and cowboy hat drove the point home. Security ignored logic to avoid profiling, fixating on harmless items. [1] Growing evidence suggests these events exposed the assumption as misguided, but recognition is still emerging and the issue remains debated.
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“Michael Tuohey was going to work like he had for 37 years, but little did he know that this day would change his life forever. On September 11, 2001, Tuohey, a ticket agent for U.S. Airways, checked in terrorist Mohammed Atta for a flight that started a chain of events that would change history.”— Great moments in ID-checking
“Gen. Foss says he believes his one-way, first-class ticket, coupled with the 10-gallon hat and western boots he was wearing, made him seem suspicious to security personnel.”— Great moments in ID-checking
Sources
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[1]
Great moments in ID-checkingreputable_journalism