A new Senate report is raising alarms about claims that the Biden administration pressured major U.S. airports to house migrants—even after repeated warnings that doing so could compromise safety and create serious security gaps.
According to Fox News, the 47-page document, titled “Flight Risk,” which was released by the Senate Commerce Committee and alleges that the White House directed several transportation agencies.
This includes the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)—to identify airport facilities that could be used as shelters or processing centers.
According to the report, the administration instructed DOT and FAA to “inventory available facilities” and “divert federal resources” to support migrant arrivals. Internal emails cited in the document show agency staff expressing discomfort with the request.
On Oct. 6, 2023, one FAA official emailed Massport, writing:
“We have received a request from the WH to determine if there are available facilities on airport or surrounding areas… This is an immediate ask so please prioritize this effort.”
Another DOT staffer reportedly reacted bluntly:
“Yikes, this is definitely Fox News fodder in the making.”
The committee says at least 11 airports—including Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, and New York’s JFK—were asked or pressured to house migrants inside terminals, hangars, or auxiliary buildings. FAA officials allegedly acknowledged that such use would normally violate federal grant-assurance rules but “ignored them most of the time” when airports did so.
Massport warned federal officials against the plan, writing:
“We are not designed or resourced to manage the intake of migrant populations… this would create a host of unintended safety and security consequences.”
Despite the warning, Logan Airport ultimately sheltered as many as 352 migrants overnight in Terminal E and spent $779,000 on related costs.
Chicago’s O’Hare Airport reportedly housed up to 900 migrants inside a shuttle terminal between April 2023 and February 2024. Police responded to 329 service calls during that period, including 26 arrests involving theft, disorderly conduct, and one death investigation.
The report also highlights a security breach at JFK Airport involving an individual identified as Kleber Loor-Ponce, described as “an alien from Ecuador,” who allegedly ran past a security checkpoint toward active runways. When detained, officers said they found a box cutter and scissors on him.
Beyond airports, the report says DOT agencies were directed to assist in other migrant-related operations. FMCSA was allegedly tasked with helping create a “Know Your Rights” pamphlet for bus passengers and coordinating with states tracking bus companies transporting migrants.
The committee concluded that these actions represented “a dangerous diversion” of transportation resources.
“The Biden-Harris administration made airports and aviation less secure,” the report states, alleging the administration encouraged migrants to shelter at airports, allowed improperly vetted individuals to fly, and diverted federal air marshals to the border.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, blasted the findings in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“This report exposes how the Biden Department of Transportation conspired with local leaders in New York, Boston, and Chicago to house migrants in airport facilities at taxpayer expense,” Cruz said.
“Their decisions – to transport illegal aliens through airports without identity checks, even those with felonies — shows in new detail how Biden’s open border policy coopted government agencies to put American citizens at risk,” he added.
