- 7/18/2025
DHS Sec. Kristi Noem holds a press briefing at the airport in Nashville, Tennessee, to highlight TSA reforms.
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00:00Thank you so much for being here. Today we're here at the Nashville International Airport to make some exciting announcements, but I do want to thank Steve and his team and everybody for what they do to secure our country and the work that they do with the Transportation Security Administration to make sure that everyone who travels on our airlines and in our airways fly with peace and with knowing that they can do so securely.
00:23We are focused on making sure that we are putting in and implementing new measures that will streamline hospitality for families that travel, for military members that travel, and some new policies that we're implementing as well.
00:36Last month here at this airport, the Nashville International Airport, in honor of America's 250th birthday, implemented a new lane through our security checkpoints that's called the Honor Lane.
00:48And what that honor lane does is that it implements a new policy that we're going to be putting across the country at all TSA security check lanes that honors our military men and women.
00:58We recently announced that this program called Serve with Honor and Travel with Ease will be utilized at airports, starting with those that are closest to our military installations, where it will allow uniformed officers, uniformed military members to have their own lane that they can go through for expedited processing and ease of travel.
01:19Right now we have dedicated lanes and front of line privileges at 11 different airports, including here at Nashville.
01:26Second, as a tribute to those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty, we are also honoring Gold Star families, and we're doing that by giving them pre-check enrollment free of charge.
01:37We want everybody to know that we are extremely grateful for their service to our country and recognize the sacrifice that their families have made.
01:44One of the things I consistently feel is our responsibility to keep reminding people, and especially as we're recruiting new military members and people to serve in positions, is that we will convince them to come forward and to continue to serve as long as we show them that we are willing to respect the service of our veterans, respect those families who've lost loved ones.
02:06And one of the ways that TSA can do that is by honoring these Gold Star families and by giving them their pre-check enrollment free of charge.
02:14The third thing that we are implementing that impacts our military personnel is that we're going to offer each of them a $25 pre-check enrollment discount for military spouses.
02:25So if military spouses want to go through the pre-check process, they will get a discount on the cost of that when they sign up.
02:32And to make it even easier, one of the things that we are pre-deploying is mobile units.
02:37For some of the individuals who go out there and help enroll people into TSA pre-enrollment, we're going to send them out to bases and military installations across the country so that they don't have to travel to an airport,
02:49they don't have to travel far from home in order to sign up and to get the benefits that come with a pre-check process.
02:57These tokens of gratitude are just a small amount of what we can do in this country to honor those who serve in our military,
03:05but also them and their families and recognize their sacrifice.
03:08Those benefits are already in effect today, so I'd encourage all of our military members, all of those Gold Star families, to take advantage of them as soon as possible.
03:18For more information that individuals may want to have on our program called Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease,
03:24just go to TSA.gov and you'll get all the information that you need.
03:28The Trump administration is working very hard to make sure that we're not only maintaining and implementing and enhancing all of our security protocols,
03:37but that we're also making travel more enjoyable,
03:39that our time in our airports and security checkpoints can be filled with hospitality and serving people
03:46and get them through in a timely manner and much more efficient as well.
03:50Just last week, we made a big announcement that I think a lot of folks were really excited about,
03:56was that we put on pause the taking off of your shoes at our security checkpoints.
04:03Ending the shoes off policy will decrease our passenger wait times through our security checkpoints,
04:09and it'll make sure that it is a more pleasant and efficient process for everybody.
04:14Finally, as someone who is a mother and a grandmother,
04:18I recognize that traveling with little kiddos at times can be difficult or at least cumbersome and time-consuming.
04:27So one of the policies that we are changing and implementing as well is that we want to announce that for all families,
04:33we'll be implementing a program that is called Families on the Fly.
04:36This means that when families come into our airports and enter our TSA security checkpoints,
04:41they will have dedicated lanes specific for families.
04:45There will be expanded areas that will give them the benefit of recognizing that they have children with them
04:51and will help make sure that we have the ability to take care of them and their families
04:55as they go through this expedited process with their kiddos.
04:59And we also recognize that these family lanes are ones that will be specifically implemented first around large areas
05:07where people travel with their kids quite often.
05:10We started, I believe, with a pilot project at the Orlando Airport because of Disney World being so close.
05:16We're excited to continue to offer these benefits through TSA to help individuals make sure that they are having the security
05:23when they travel through our airlines and through our airways,
05:28but that also we're making it much more of a pleasant experience for them as well.
05:33This will include, we're also going to make sure that we're giving families a $15 discount when they enroll in TSA pre-check as well.
05:42We're going to be reducing also some of the invasive pat-downs that individuals have seen with children,
05:49and so we'll be focusing on making sure that that activity is as limited as it possibly can be,
05:57recognizing that when people are traveling with their children many times, that has been invasive in their privacy.
06:03TSA has been working with many national family organizations
06:06and with other families and groups to help organize these implementation of policy changes,
06:13and we're going to continue to do that to make sure we're looking at our screening processes,
06:17keeping our standards high, but making and accommodating.
06:20We're one of the busiest summers and falls in the country's history.
06:25We're also recognizing that we've got even more travelers that are hitting the airways in the future.
06:29With not just the World Cup coming next year, which will bring us 22 million international visitors
06:37that will come into this country, we also have the Olympics coming up.
06:41We'll be celebrating America's 250th birthday as well next year,
06:46so streamlining these processes is incredibly important for us to make sure that we can accommodate
06:50the increased traffic that we've seen and continue to do even better into the future.
06:55One of the things that I would note for all of you is that we have seen our seven busiest travel days in history
07:02just since the beginning of this calendar year.
07:06So more and more people are traveling by air,
07:09and we're determined to make sure that we're keeping our technology investments,
07:13our training for our TSOs and our TSA employees to the highest level
07:18so that people can streamline their processes going forward.
07:21We're making sure that every policy that we have is a common-sense policy
07:25that serves people and keeps us safe.
07:28With that, I just want to say thank you for being here,
07:31and also God bless all of our military members and the folks who live in this country,
07:35and may they all be safe as they go out and they do their work and continue to defend our country.
07:40With that, I'll open it up to any questions that you may have.
07:43Yes, sir.
07:44So I haven't read the Dignity Act yet, although I have talked to the Congresswoman about it.
08:09I know that she's looking forward to having some debate on this in Congress with the House and the Senate.
08:14You know, what I do and what ICE does every single day is go out and enforce the law.
08:19What we do and what President Trump has directed us to do is to make sure that we're upholding federal law
08:24and that we are making sure that it applies equally to everybody.
08:27No longer will the law apply to some people and not to others.
08:31Illegal criminals in this country are not going to get priority over American citizens.
08:35So I'm incredibly proud of our ICE officers that they're out there every day
08:39making sure that we're getting murderers, rapists, pedophiles off of our streets
08:44and getting them out of our country.
08:46We'll continue to look at what Congress brings forward.
08:50Remember that if people don't like the law, they can change it.
08:54They just need to have Congress do that.
08:55What we do is that we implement and we uphold the law.
08:59Yes.
08:59I have a question about the political policy.
09:02Yes.
09:03I don't have any more details that I can share with you.
09:10I do want to introduce a couple of people that I have behind me.
09:14I have with me Hobb McNeil and Adam Stahl, who are the leadership team at TSA,
09:19and they are the ones that have been deep involved in these security procedures that we undertake every day
09:24and checkpoints and making sure that they're effective.
09:27And then also looking at some of the policies we have today as to how we can add technology to streamline some of the processes
09:35and maybe remove some of the requirements that we do have today.
09:38So as we implement new technologies at checkpoints, that may be one of those procedures that we can evaluate and not require for passengers anymore.
09:47And remember, every single thing that happens at a checkpoint today is being evaluated,
09:51and we're very excited to partner with a lot of private companies to bring us the technology we need to streamline this experience.
09:58Yes, sir.
09:58We have a layered security process right now that we did not have, I would say, five to seven years ago,
10:13and the technology and scanners of either luggage or individuals and the exit lanes as well streamlines it, makes it go a lot faster.
10:21Every time you have more and more agents out here that are required to do more hands-on, it slows things down for those passengers.
10:29So we are currently talking to many different companies about what they can do to streamline their processes
10:35as far as combining the screening process so that individuals can walk into a checkpoint and not have to take off their shoes.
10:43The next ones that we will be evaluating is what it requires for the liquids, for removing electronics, all of those.
10:49My goal would be that someday someone could walk into an airport, walk through a scanner, and go right to their airplane.
10:56That's the goal, and that's the challenge I put in front of TSA and these companies,
10:59and I'm hopeful that we'll continue to be able to make good announcements like this.
11:02Yeah.
11:19I've noticed that too.
11:21Yes, we're streamlining our training and our management as well,
11:25and one thing I'll remind some folks is we've got some airports in this country that also have private companies
11:31that do the screening, TSA contracts with them, but we do think it needs to be consistent,
11:36and we are working to do that and to make sure that every passenger, when they walk in,
11:41that they know exactly what's expected of them so that it can go faster and be much more streamlined so it's more efficient.
11:48One of the things that we're excited about is with the bill that just passed that had resources in it,
12:02President Trump's big, beautiful bill, had resources for TSA that will have the ability to invest in that technology.
12:08So we have hundreds and hundreds of airports across the country, so it's a big investment,
12:13but I'm also looking for a private-public partnership in a way that will be really accountable to taxpayers
12:19and take our dollars even farther to make sure we get the best technology,
12:23but also negotiating that contract for the constant upgrades that are necessary when you implement that kind of opportunity
12:30and machines like you see in front of us.
12:32When we go to the next level, it's going to be something that we'll need to continuously stay on top of
12:37so that we can stay on top of the threats that are out there as well.
12:41Yes, ma'am.
12:43Yes, ma'am.
12:46Okay.
12:52Yeah.
12:56Mm-hmm.
13:01Mm-hmm.
13:04Yeah, what I would say to them is to go home.
13:07They still have the opportunity to self-deport, to go back to their country.
13:11Right now, we're buying plane tickets for people to go back to their home countries.
13:16And also, when they land, we give them $1,000, and then they get the opportunity to come back the right way.
13:22That is still the very best option for everybody who's in this country illegally.
13:26And that would be my hope is what they would do.
13:28I've actually gone to, I think it's 10 different countries already, and talked to those countries about supporting their citizens when they come back home.
13:36Many countries in Latin America have instituted already programs that when individuals come back home, they will give them loans for houses.
13:44They will give them training for jobs.
13:46They will give their children scholarships for an education.
13:49So these countries, such as Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, we're going to Ecuador here soon, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, I've traveled to many of these countries and visited with them.
13:59And many of them want to welcome their citizens home and are partnering with the United States so that when people do go home, they have an opportunity there as well.
14:07But if they want to come back to the United States, that we will help facilitate that in a timely manner, too.
14:13We're streamlining our visa programs.
14:15We're streamlining our workforce programs so it will be much quicker and responsive.
14:19So that will be better.
14:21One of the things that I would say is if you wait until we deport you, then you will never get the chance to come back to America.
14:27So my hope is that many people will do it the right way.
14:37The people who are being removed right now today are people that have crimes against them that they've either been convicted of or they have charges against them or they have final removal orders.
14:48So that is the focus and the priority of the Trump administration.
14:52If they are somebody else has been interviewed and has been talked to and has been detained by ICE for that process and that due process, it could be because of who they're affiliated with or the business that they were affiliated with.
15:06Yes.
15:07How I want to what?
15:12Oh, yes.
15:13As it exists.
15:21I think people have this idea of what FEMA is, and it needs to change how it exists today.
15:31FEMA is supposed to be an agency at the federal level that looks at disaster response
15:37through a different lens than what it has in previous years, especially under the Biden administration.
15:41All emergencies and disasters should be executed by local officials, people in those local cities and counties.
15:49It should be then managed by the state.
15:51The state manages that disaster response and makes the best decisions for the people that live there.
15:56The federal government should come in and support, which means what do you need, what can we get you, how can we help?
16:02And especially when you look at a situation like Texas, when it's so widespread and there's such a devastating loss of life and families who are suffering, it has to be immediate.
16:12That has not been FEMA's story in the past.
16:15And so that is what we are changing, is FEMA being responsive, immediate declarations that launch help.
16:22We saw our Coast Guard was on the ground.
16:25And that's the other thing is, you know, the box of responding to these states and the needs that they have doesn't just come through FEMA.
16:31The Coast Guard was there within hours.
16:33Border Patrol was there with their BORTAC teams responding and helping people get rescued from the swift waters.
16:39FEMA was there within hours.
16:41We've had over 700 different people from FEMA deployed to that area.
16:45So what needs to happen is that we should not have FEMA officials making all the decisions for how to run that emergency.
16:53That state and those local officials should.
16:55We come in and support them.
16:56What you saw happen in Texas was much more how FEMA will look in the future.
17:02It won't look like the response to Katrina or the response to even Helene and what happened in North Carolina,
17:07where people waited weeks and weeks and months and months for help or for people to show up or help was promised and it never came.
17:15You look at claims from Katrina, some of them still haven't been paid today.
17:19That's what President Trump wants to fix, and that's how he wants to take care of people.
17:26We have had a partnership that President Trump implemented on immigration enforcement that has been a whole-of-government approach,
17:42which means we have many, many different agencies that are partnering with us.
17:46So Border Patrol is one of those.
17:48Marshals have been helping us, the ATF, the DEA.
17:51We've had different states, their highway patrol, their law enforcement officials have helped us, many sheriffs.
17:57We have agreements called 287G agreements that we've signed.
18:01I think we have over 800 of those across the country.
18:04So using all these different agencies, local, state, and federal, helps us to be much more cooperative,
18:10and we're very thankful for Greg's leadership.
18:12He's been a fantastic leader in making sure that we're going after those worst of the worst criminals that we see across this country.
18:19I'll take one more question.
18:21I wish one of you today would have asked about some of the families that actually lost somebody because of an illegal criminal,
18:49would have asked a question about some of these families who are victims of crime that's been perpetuated across our streets,
18:55because it's very rare I get asked a question anymore at press conferences about what the consequences have been of our open border.
19:01President Trump has removed over 600 known and suspected terrorists from this country since he's been in office,
19:08thousands and thousands of known gang members, TDA members, MS-13 members.
19:12So if they're going to a third country, if we're deporting them to a third country,
19:16it's because their country doesn't want them and won't take them.
19:19That means that many of these individuals are murderers, that they're rapists.
19:23They're individuals, their own country doesn't want them back, and so we're removing them to a third country.
19:27We've got some.
19:29Everybody's being treated humanely.
19:31Absolutely.
19:31Once they are out of the United States, it is not our responsibility to make sure that we have jurisdiction over them,
19:38but we have cooperative agreements with many, many different countries to be safe countries for us,
19:45and they're meeting their requirements of that and following the law.
19:49One final question.
19:50Yes.
19:51You're a national war mayor.
19:52Dox by safety.
19:53You've seen activists.
19:55He said it was a mistake to dox them?
19:57He said it was a mistake.
19:58Oh, that's good.
19:59I hope so, but he really did put their lives at risk.
20:02And there's a policy prosecutor in Los Angeles, for example,
20:05where obviously clearly the infection of dogs kind of is trying to do the wrong way.
20:10Is the Department of Security looking at requiring some of these individuals to prosecution?
20:16Yes, absolutely.
20:18We will detain these individuals if the law allows,
20:21and it's up to the Department of Justice if they decide to prosecute.
20:24So it depends on what actually the crime is that was committed.
20:27But doxing very much exposes them and their family to dangerous situations.
20:32We've had many of our ICE officers, CBP officers, that have been victimized.
20:36Their families have been threatened and attacked.
20:39And so any elected official, anybody who does this on purpose and causes harm
20:44or brings harm to them and their families, the Department of Justice,
20:48they will be referred to them,
20:49and the Department of Justice has indicated that they will prosecute those where it's appropriate.
20:55All right.
20:55Thank you, everybody.
20:57Thank you for being here today.
20:58And I want to thank you.
21:00Thanks to all of these TSA officers behind me.
21:04Every single person is getting due process, sir, as required by the law.
21:07I don't know that to be true.
21:14I don't know that to be true.
21:16Every single person that's detained by ICE is having an opportunity
21:21to have the due process that afforded them by the law.
21:24Thank you, everybody.
21:25Have a wonderful day.
21:27I'm working for zero.