The Screening Policy at the Airport - Essay Example

Airport Screening Security has been a major concern for most Americans since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In their book, aviation security experts, Price and Forrest (33) note that the unfortunate attacks claimed the lives of at least 3,200 Americans, leaving scores others injured. In response, President George Walker Bush established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that the U.S. homeland is protected from terrorists. The DHS has been employing a number of strategies to ensure that the U.S. homeland security if protected from both domestic and international terrorists. In his book, Airport and Aviation Security Elias2 (21) states that mandatory screening in airports is among the strategies that the DHS is employing to prevent terrorists from gaining entry into the country. According to the policy, all passengers from abroad are subjected to thorough screening at the airports to prevent entry of explosives and illegal arms or illicit drugs into the country. The screening policy at the airport was expanded recently following an Ebola scare. This follows a growing concern among Americans of the possible spread of the Ebola into the United States. In the news article “Ebola Airport Screenings May Seem Intrusive, But They’re Legal, Experts Say”, Tucker (6) notes that Ebola, a disease that was first reported in West Africa, has already claimed the lives of close to 2,000 people. Among the West African countries where deaths have been reported include Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Ebola has also been reported in Spain and the U.S., where the disease recently claimed the life of a patient who had been transferred from West Africa for treatment. The Ebola scare has caused a scare to Americans to the extent that the government has been forced to put stringent measures to prevent the spread of Ebola into the U.S. According to the new policy, passengers arriving from West African countries, such as Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone are required to be subjected to thorough screening for Ebola virus. A news article published by Eye Witness News stated that the screening involves checking the passengers temperatures using non-touch thermometers and other screening techniques (5). The main aim of Ebola screening at the airport is to help identify sick passengers from Ebola affected countries so that appropriate measures are taken to prevent the passengers from mixing with the rest of the American population. Any passengers found showing symptoms of Ebola are quarantined immediately in the isolation facilities already set up at the various major airports in the country. Some of the major airports where screening is already ongoing include John F. Kennedy International Airport, OHare, Washington Dulles, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airports and Newark Liberty. Ebola Screening is to be expanded to all major airports throughout the country. Although the government has considered screening at the airport the best way to prevent terrorists from gaining entry into the U.S. and the spread of Ebola into the country, a section of the society is strongly opposed to screening citing various reasons for objection. Nevertheless, personally, I strongly believe that screening at the U.S. airport is necessary to help secure the country from terrorists and Ebola virus as will be demonstrated in the paper. To begin with, the U.S. has been under a threat from the foreign terrorists who are trying to gain entry into the United States to enable them carry out terrorist activities. The U.S. has been hit by terrorists more than once. The most recent was the 9/11 attacks, which is arguably the deadliest and most devastating terror attacks that America has ever witnessed. Therefore, the best way to prevent the international terrorists from gaining entry into the United States is to ensure that passengers from abroad are thoroughly screened to ensure that terrorists do not gain entry into the United States. In fact, evidence gathered after the 9/11 terrorist attacks found that the terrorists who carried out the attack gained entry through the U.S. airports undetected (Price and Forrest 46). Security experts attribute this to the fact that there was no screening at the time. This enabled the terrorists to enter and strategize how to hijack the planes that were used to conduct the attack. Therefore, it becomes apparent that the lack of screening policy at the airports in the country was to blame for the 9/11 terrorists. If the airport where the terrorists gained entry could have screened the passengers, then the terrorist could have been arrested and their mission averted. Therefore, screening at the airport should be embraced by all Americans to help keep terrorists at bay. In fact, evidence shows international terrorists have not been able to gain entry into the U.S. since the DHS employed the policy of screening at the airports. Security experts argue that since the U.S. airports began implementing the screening policy, international terrorists have found it hard gaining entry into the country for fear of being court at the airport. This clearly indicates that screening at the airport is an effective strategy of tackling terrorism in the country. Nevertheless, a section of the society is strongly opposed to screening at the airports arguing that it amounts to a violation of the private rights of passengers, which is protected by the constitution. In an article published by the New York Times, Stellin (4) notes that those opposed to the screening argue that the scanning reveals passengers nakedness, which violates the privacy rights of passengers. Others also argue that women are sometimes compelled to raise their arms. In the process, they end up exposing their privacy, which violates the law. Rotenberg, a journalist affiliated with the CNN notes in his article “Body Scanners, Pat-Downs Violate Law And Privacy” that appropriate measures have been taken to ensure that the scanners do not reveal the privacy of individuals, even in cases of pat-down screening (3). As such, Americans should embrace the practice since it is among the best strategies that would help the country see an end to international terrorism. In the book Bombers, Hijackers, Body Scanners, and Jihadists, Vincent states that drug cartels have historically been a problem in the U.S. (13). Currently, America ranks among the countries where illegal drugs are used by teenagers. The drug trafficking business has grown in the U.S. to the extent that it is now causing a serious security threat to the country, as illegal gangs fight for control of business areas. Unfortunately, most of the illegal drugs used in the U.S. have been finding their way into the country through airports. However, show that screening at the airport offers the best solution to drug trafficking into the U.S. Vincent notes that some of the illegal drugs that find their way into the U.S. are hidden into the body of the traffickers (18). Accordingly, it has not been easy for the airport authorities to detect these drugs using the old way of checking passengers. Therefore, the only way to prevent trafficking of drugs into the U.S. through the airports is to ensure that thorough screening is done to ensure that anything carried in the body is revealed to the authorities. In his book on airport passenger screening, Elias (27) notes that so far, body screening at the airport has helped nab drug traffickers trying to gain entry into the U.S. with drugs concealed in their body cavities. As such, it is important for Americans to support the screening at the airports to help in the fight against illegal drugs. Otherwise, winning the war on illicit drugs would be a history as drug cartels have devised the means of hiding the drugs in their bodies as opposed to staffing them in a briefcase. A section of health experts, however, have objected the procedure of screening at the airport citing health concerns. In a recent web article, Zaffar (par. 8) notes that those who raise health concerns argue that subjecting people to X-rays every time and again exposes frequent fliers to excessive radiations, which exposes passengers at risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases. Nonetheless, it is important for the American public, especially frequent flyers, that the machines used for screening passengers at the airports be tested and approved by experts. Therefore, passengers should embrace screening to help America keep at bay terrorists and drug traffickers who may attempt to gain entry into the country through the airports. In fact, the concerns being raised have never been proven. As such, Americans should not fear the screening procedure but support it in full. Ebola has scared to Americans since the first case of Ebola virus was reported in the United States. Currently, everyone in the U.S. is scared of the disease following damning findings by the World Health Organization that Ebola is highly contagious. According to the WHO, Ebola is a highly contagious disease that spread by making contact with any infected person (Zaffar par. 6).The methods of transmission includes body fluids. This implies that hand sharing, touching, hugging or making any contact with a patient with Ebola virus can easily contact the diseases. Although research is currently ongoing to try to find the right vaccine for the disease, none has so far been found. This implies that any person who contacts that disease can die in a matter of days. Americans became scared even more recently following the death of Thomas Duncan in October 8 in a Dallas hospital. The patient contacted the disease in Liberia before being flown to the U.S. through Dulles International Airport for specialized treatment. Therefore, although a section of Americans feel that screening at the airport is not necessary, evidence shows that strict screening is necessary to prevent the infected passengers from entering into the U.S. undetected (Tucker 6). For instance, if Thomas Duncan could have sneaked into the U.S. through the airport unnoticed, there is no doubt that Americans could have been at risk of the disease. Failure to detect that the patient was suffering from Ebola could have allowed him to enter the U.S. freely and start mixing with friends and families undetected. In the process, the patient could have infected all the Americans he would have come into contact with through handshaking, hugging or making contacts that allow the mixture of body fluids. Certainly, America could have been talking of a different thing today. The Ebola virus could have spread to different parts of the country by now. In a recent article published by The Baltimore Sun, Rector and Dance (11) suggest that the best way to prevent Ebola from infecting Americans is to ensure that thorough screening is done at all major airports to ensure that all patients from Ebola outbreak countries do not gain entry into the U.S. undetected. In this respect, screening would ensure that any passenger suspected to show signs of Ebola are immediately quarantined in an isolation room. This would give American doctors the opportunity to examine the patient thoroughly to certify whether the patient has a disease or not. Additionally, screening at the U.S. airports is also necessary since it enables doctors to identify patients with the Ebola so that appropriate treatment methods can be provided. However, some people have cast doubt on the effectiveness of screening at the airport arguing that screening at the airport is not the best solution. Those who maintain this position argue that people with Ebola can find their way into the country through the U.S. porous borders and seas. According to The Associated Press (7) as stated in its article “Health Experts: Ebola Screening At Dulles, Other Airports May Be Intrusive - But Necessary”, there are some people who argue that the best way to prevent Ebola from spreading into the U.S. is to tackle Ebola right in West African countries where the outbreak of the disease has been reported (). Nonetheless, it is critical that those opposed to airport screening to understand that the majority of travelers from West Africa gain entry through airports. Therefore, the first precaution is to ensure that any person gaining entry into the U.S. from West Africa are thoroughly screened just to ensure that they have no Ebola virus. Some people have also been strongly opposed to airport screening citing that it promotes racial and ethnic profiling. Those who make such claims argue that screening at the airport is not done equitably and that people of certain races, religions and nationalities are searched more than others. As such, those who maintain this view feel that airport screening was introduced as a means of oppressing people of certain races. People of Islamic religion, in particular have often claimed that they are subjected to intense screening than other races. Nevertheless, it is important for those opposed to screening to understand that screening is done to protect all Americans regardless of religion, race, nationality or ethnic background. In fact, there has not been any proof of racial profiling during screening at the airport. Therefore, it would be very important if all Americans embrace screening at the airport to ensure that the countrys homeland is secure and that Americans are protected from contagious diseases, such as Ebola. In conclusion, the U.S has been under threat of international terrorists for many years. However, the 9/11 terrorist attacks acted as a wake-up call for the U.S. government. In response, President George W. Bush moved with speed and established the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that the countrys homeland safeguarded from terrorists. In fact, the establishment of the DHS has helped the U.S. avert many security threats in the country. Screening at the airports is one of the strategies that the DHS proposed as a means of tackling the threat of terrorists and drugs trafficking into the country. Although the establishment of a policy that gives airport authorities the power to screen passengers has raised controversies, evidence shows that screening has helped in the war against terrorism. In fact, security experts believe that the 9/11 attacks could have been thwarted if airports could have been allowed to screen passengers. The fact that no terrorist attack America has not been attacked by terrorists from outside the country also points that screening at the airport has been effective in fighting terrorism. Additionally, screening t the airport has also been necessitated by the threat of Ebola spreading from West Africa into the country. In fact, evidence shows that the screening has helped ensure that no passenger passes the U.S. airports from West Africa without undergoing thorough screening. Accordingly, the policy of screening has helped secure Americans from the Ebola scare. Therefore, as much as there are certain concerns regarding screening at the airports, the policy should be embraced by Americans to help secure the country from terrorists, drug cartels and Ebola. Nevertheless, the government should listen to the concerns raised by a section of the public and find a way of addressing the concerns to ensure that every American flier embraces the screening procedure. Works Cited Elias, Bartholomew1. Airport Passenger Screening: Background and Issues for Congress. New York, NY: DIANE Publishing, 2010. Print. Elias, Bartholomew2. Airport and Aviation Security: U.S. Policy and Strategy in the Age of Global Terrorism. New York, NY: CRC Press, 2009. Print. Eye Witness News. “Major U.S. Airports To Start Entry Screenings For Ebola.” Eye Witness News, 10 Oct. 2014: 5. Print. Price, Jeffrey and Jeffrey Forrest. Practical Aviation Security: Predicting and Preventing Future Threats. Princeton, NY: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2012. Print. Rector, Kevin & Scott, Dance. “New Airport Screenings Announced As Ebola Fears Spread Across U.S.” The Baltimore Sun, 8 Oct. 2014: 11. Print. Rotenberg, Marc. “Body Scanners, Pat-Downs Violate Law And Privacy.” CNN, 19 Nov. 2010: 3. Print. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/11/17/rotenberg.scanners.privacy/ Stellin, Susan. “Airport Screening Concerns Civil Liberties Groups.” The New York Times, 11 March 2013: 4. Print. The Associated Press. “Health Experts: Ebola Screening At Dulles, Other Airports May Be Intrusive - But Necessary.” ABC News, 10 October 2014: 7. Print. Tucker, Eric. “Ebola Airport Screenings May Seem Intrusive, But They’re Legal, Experts Say.” The Associated Press, 11 Oct. 2014: 6. Web. Vincent, Billie H. Bombers, Hijackers, Body Scanners, and Jihadists. Mason, OH: Xlibris Corporation, 2012. Print. Zaffar, Ehsan. What Are Your Rights At Airport Screenings And Checkpoints? 11 September 2013. Web. 29 November 2014 http://www.elsevier.com/connect/what-are-your-rights-at-airport-screenings-and-checkpoints Read More