TSA behavior detection officers called themselves “Mexican Hunters”

A 2010 TSA report obtained by the Newark Star Ledger is offering an inside look into the work of Liberty International Airport’s behavior detection officers, who apparently spent so much of their time stopping travelers of Latin American descent that they dubbed themselves the “Mexican Hunters.”

The so-called “Boston Report” on the Newark screeners, compiled from early 2008 to late 2009 by inquiry officers based out of Logan International Airport, contains descriptions of manager-supported racial profiling, policies of ignoring actual behavioral stress indicators, and officers’ cavalier attitude towards public safety.

According to the report, the BDO officers were focusing on Mexican and Dominican passengers in order to find improper visas and passport stamps that would allow the unit to refer cases to immigration and create a paper record of apparent productivity. The report was written during a time of turmoil at Newark Liberty, as stories surfaced about screeners’ incompetence.