Overview
- Evita Duffy-Alfonso said she waited about 15 minutes for a pat-down after declining a body scanner due to pregnancy concerns and nearly missed her flight.
- She described TSA agents as passive-aggressive and pressuring her and another pregnant woman to use the scanner, which she called an invasive and unnecessary process.
- Duffy-Alfonso urged President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to abolish TSA, arguing its searches are unreasonable and violate the Fourth Amendment.
- She criticized private biometric programs such as CLEAR, saying shorter lines should not depend on surrendering biometric data.
- TSA said it is aware of the incident and will investigate, reiterated that scanners are considered safe and that opt-outs to physical screening generally exist, and DOT did not immediately comment; she emphasized TSA is under DHS, not DOT, and later called for better treatment of expectant mothers.