TSA Official: Airport Mask Violations Are Handled 'Same Way' as Carrying a Gun Through Security
The Biden administration has repeatedly browbeaten Americans to get vaccinated, saying that will return the country back to normal following the coronavirus pandemic.
But apparently that was just another empty promise.
Even if you’re vaccinated, you’ll still be required to wear a mask at airports and on planes, a Transportation Security Administration official told Just the News on Wednesday.
In fact, not wearing a mask will be treated as harshly as illegally carrying a gun through airport security, according to Darby LaJoye, a security operations administrator at TSA.
“We’ve talked very broadly about the number of firearms and prohibited items, we approach it the same way,” LaJoye told Just the News.
“If what begins as a simple reminder for someone to wear a mask escalates to a security incident, or an assault on a TSA employee or member of the flight crew, each and every one of those is going to be investigated. Many result in arrest and potential civil and criminal penalties that can result in thousands of dollars in fines.”
VIDEO: Travelers are still required to wear face masks at airports, train stations and while traveling. Read more In our joint statement with @CDCgov and @USDOT: https://t.co/PghORrCTvG pic.twitter.com/COFH4YJ8sW
— TSA (@TSA) May 27, 2021
LaJoye said he’s simply following federal coronavirus guidelines, which means the mask mandate at airports will remain in effect through Sept. 13 regardless of vaccination status.
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“The message from the federal government has been pretty clear in encouraging everyone to go get vaccinated, but just to alleviate any potential confusion, it is a federal mask mandate irrespective of one’s vaccination status, or state or local ordinances,” he said.
“It is a federal requirement to wear a mask on all forms of public transportation.”
In spite of that requirement, President Joe Biden’s climate czar, John Kerry, was caught not wearing a mask on a flight from Boston to Washington, D.C., in March.
The Tennessee Star’s Neil McCabe, who broke the news, said Kerry “was not eating, nor drinking. He was simply flaunting Biden’s mandatory mask policy.”
Despite the TSA’s somber warning that violators could be fined and arrested, nothing happened to Kerry for ignoring the federal guideline that everyone else has to submit to.
@TheTNStar Exclusive: Biden’s @ClimateEnvoy John Kerry, took off his mask as he settled into a book in his first-class seat just before takeoff today on an @AmericanAir flight Boston to DC. He was not eating, nor drinking. He was simply flaunting Biden’s mandatory mask policy. pic.twitter.com/t1wDq9OtxD
— ReporterMcCabe (@NeilWMcCabe2) March 17, 2021
Meanwhile, this is what happened to six Maine Republican lawmakers for not wearing a mask when entering the state Capitol — on the day the governor lifted the mandate.
Maine Dem House Speaker Strips Republicans of Committee Assignments for Entering Without Masks https://t.co/mI6qdTs5Bq pic.twitter.com/YobiIK1BTg
— The Point (@TPNN_ThePoint) May 27, 2021
The TSA’s initial face mask requirement went into effect on Feb. 1 and was set to expire on May 11. However, the agency has since extended that deadline through Sept. 13.
In a news release last month, the TSA explained that it has invested a lot of resources into enforcing the mask mandate.
“Acrylic barriers remain in place at most airports while new credential authentication technology and computed tomography equipment at hundreds of checkpoints greatly reduce the need for physical contact between our officers and the traveling public,” the agency said.
“The TSA screening officer at the travel document checker (TDC) station will request that travelers temporarily lower their face mask to verify their identity. Those who approach the TDC without a face mask will be asked to obtain one to proceed.”
The agency warned that “passengers who refuse to wear a face mask will not be permitted to enter the secure area of the airport, which includes the terminal and gate area.”
While many Americans had hoped the country would return to some semblance of normalcy after a harrowing year of destructive, unscientific coronavirus shutdowns, lockdowns and restrictions, many on the left apparently don’t want to.
Flip-flopping White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has even suggested that Americans should wear masks for the rest of their lives.
Just a reminder of what a fraud Fauci is. As soon as camera goes off so does mask. pic.twitter.com/c550KUcNun
— suzy (@Suzy_1776) May 9, 2021
While many Democrats and their media lapdogs are badgering Americans to submit to unscientific restrictions, they gleefully welcome armies of unmasked, unvaccinated illegal aliens into the U.S. every day.
Biden Admin Has Flown 7,200 Illegal Aliens Into US Without Requiring ID or Negative COVID Test: Report https://t.co/RLOcckaw7u
— FAIR (@FAIRImmigration) May 3, 2021
This one bit of absurd hypocrisy should be enough to make you doubt everything you’re being ordered to do by the current administration.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
