El Paso elected officials are criticizing a new video greeting visitors to the El Paso International Airport.
The video, now playing on a loop in airports across the United States, features U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem condemning Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, despite the fact that Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House.
While the video has already raised the ire of travelers and airport officials nationwide, three El Paso City Council members joined the chorus on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem appears in a video displayed at the El Paso International Airport, in which she airs a political message blaming Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown.
In a letter, El Paso city Reps. Alejandra Chavez, Josh Acevedo and Deanna Maldonado-Rocha condemned what they called a “distraction” that “is keeping people from getting back to work and, more importantly, getting paid and providing for their families.”
“The city of El Paso was not consulted or made aware of a decision to play this video,” the trio wrote. “It is our understanding that we have a lease agreement with (the Transportation Security Administration) for office space at EPIA, but there is no agreement for the security checkpoint area, which is governed by both TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).”
As such, our constituents are looking for reasoning, accountability, and clarification on TSA’s decision to display this content,” they continued. “Our priority as your local government, and as non-partisan elected officials, is to remain apolitical while ensuring that City and TSA staff maintain great customer service, safety, and security.”
The city representatives are also alleging that the video may represent a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal officials, including Cabinet secretaries, from engaging in political activity while acting in their official role.
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For its part, the El Paso County Democratic Party is calling for the El Paso airport to stop airing the video and is urging citizens to lead the push.
“You may have heard that Kristi Noem and the Trump administration have released a misleading video about the Republican-led federal government shutdown,” El Paso County Democratic Party Chair Michael Apodaca wrote in an email. “While several Texas airports are opposing the administration’s potentially unlawful actions, we need our airport to do the same.”
“We must urge our El Paso City Council to continue demanding the removal of this video from our airport and to stand up for our community values.”
While multiple airports across the country have already opted not to air the video, including Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Love Field, El Paso International Airport spokesperson Tammy Fonce asserted that the video is beyond local control.
“The El Paso International Airport is not airing the DHS video,” she said in an email. “The video is being aired by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on equipment and in an area that is under the control of the TSA.”
“The TSA Checkpoint Requirements and Planning Guide explains that TSA has operational control over all security checkpoint areas in U.S. airports throughout the document,” Fonce added. “It notes that TSA manages the equipment and signage within those federally controlled spaces.”
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Democrats demand El Paso airport pull shutdown video