SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff are demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security after a recent immigration arrest at San Francisco International Airport raised new questions about how federal agencies share and use passenger data.
In a formal inquiry sent to DHS leadership, the California Democrats are asking what authority allowed TSA information to be used to alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement ahead of the arrest of a Guatemalan mother and her child.
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New questions are emerging about how feds share and use passenger data following the high-profile arrest of a Guatemalan mother and her child at SFO.
Federal officials were alerted to the travelers using TSA passenger data – part of a broader data-sharing system within DHS that security experts say has long been used for counterterrorism purposes.
But experts told ABC7 Eyewitness News the concern in this case is how that same system may be increasingly used for immigration enforcement, potentially shifting resources away from TSA’s core mission.
“Under what policy did this happen? Is this a new policy, a new directive?” Padilla said in an interview with ABC7 Eyewitness News.
While data-sharing across DHS agencies is not new, Padilla suggested the use of that information for immigration enforcement may mark a shift.
“It speaks back to sort of the fundamental distrust that so many people have of this administration, the unlawful data sharing that’s been going on,” he said. “That’s why the administration now wants to get their hands on the personal information of every voter in America. Is it for immigration? Is it for suppressing the vote? What is it? Because we certainly don’t trust Donald Trump.”
Fight over DHS funding tied to immigration policy
The inquiry comes as Congress remains locked in a partial government shutdown, with immigration enforcement at the center of the standoff.
Padilla defended his vote against a Republican-backed proposal to fund most of DHS, saying it did not go far enough on the immigration enforcement reforms Democrats are pushing for.
“I don’t believe it’s a lost cause,” Padilla said. “It’s overdue and it’s absolutely necessary.”
MORE: California Sens. Padilla, Schiff tour ICE detention center amid concerns over detainee treatment
Democrats have proposed funding other DHS agencies, including TSA, while continuing negotiations over ICE and CBP. The Senate reached an agreement that would have funded most of DHS, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has rejected that approach, arguing the agencies should not be split.
“I thought we had a breakthrough,” Padilla said.
The reforms Democrats are seeking include requiring judicial warrants before entering homes, limiting when agents can wear masks and requiring clearer identification, as well as expanding the use of body cameras.
“They sent us a bill that literally put the number zero in the bill for the funding of border security and Customs and Immigration Enforcement. We can’t do that. That was the biggest issue in the 2024 election, and it’s outrageous to us,” Johnson told Fox News in a Tuesday interview.
But Padilla questioned whether that relief has reduced urgency to reach a broader deal.
“Yes, there’s been frustration and delays at airports, but there’s been chaos and tragedies in communities, and that cannot be overlooked,” Padilla said.
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