EL PASO, Tx., October 31, 2025: On Tuesday, the city council voted on a plan to discuss the controversial video at the El Paso Airport with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the hopes of removing it. The video playing on a television screen in the airport’s security area shows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming the Democrats for the federal government shutdown now on its 31st day. TSA employees, like other federal workers, are either working without pay or have been furloughed.
The city council agenda item for the October 28th meeting tasked the city manager and city attorney “to explore the development” of an agreement with the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to “align operations” at the airport with the city’s guidelines with “those related to the display of political language” at the airport. The proposed ordinance also tasked city officials with reviewing contracts and lease agreements with the federal government.
According to the agenda item, city residents had been reaching out to city council members “about the possibility of political language displayed at the El Paso International Airport.” This was in reference to the Noem video.
The video, according to the agenda item “depicts Department of Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem openly politicizing the ongoing federal government shutdown.” The agenda item, posted by City Representatives Josh Acevedo and Deanna Rocha-Maldonado, states that there are concerns that the video “could be a violation of the Hatch Act which prohibits federal employees…from engaging in political activity while acting in their official role.”
The agenda item adds that “three City Representatives submitted a joint letter to “Jared Babin, the Federal Security Director with the Transportation Security Administration, asking that the video be removed.” “Mr. Babin, via email, declined to remove the display of the video,” states the agenda item.
The agenda item did not include additional information about what the proposed agreement with the TSA would look like, but it was suggested that the city council wanted the video of Noem removed. The measure failed with Alejandra Chávez, Art Fierro, Lily Limón and Ivan Niño voting against the item. Voting in favor were Acevedo and Rocha-Maldonado. They were joined by Cynthia Boyer Trejo and Chris Canales. Mayor Renard Johnson, who only votes in tie votes, voted against the measure.
After the vote was taken, congresswoman Veronica Escobar posted on social media that she was “outraged by the partisan, unlawful video of Kristi Noem,” adding that she was “so grateful for the leadership of my City Representative Josh Acevedo” for putting the measure before the city council. Escobar thanked the city representatives who voted to approve the measure that did not pass. She added that she hoped that the city council “reconsiders” their decision.
El Paso Herald Post reached out to Art Fierro and Lily Limón asking why they voted against the measure.
In an email, Fierro wrote that he was “outraged with the Kristi Noem video that El Paso International Airport refused to air, but TSA is still broadcasting in their security checkpoint.” He added that TSA officials “ignored” several concerns about the video.
However, Fierro wrote that city council’s “focus and energy should remain on the El Pasoans who are yet to receive a paycheck for their hours worked, who are in jeopardy of losing SNAP benefits, and who are unsure of how they will pay their utilities, mortgage, and provide for their family.”
Limón wrote in an email response that she “had requested an emergency meeting be called when the news broke but was advised that the city had already reached out to deaf ears,” adding that “they would not budge.” She continued, the “mayor wrote a letter and he too was pretty much told no.”
She added that “our city is suffering horrifically and there is no action plan…our air traffic controllers did not get a paycheck yesterday, and Ft. Bliss Garrison Command has approximately 40% of their employees furloughed.” Pointing to tomorrow’s expected end to SNAP benefits, Limón wrote that “thousands of people are losing their SNAP benefits on Saturday, and ICE is targeting our people on the street and we don’t hear about it.” She was referring to ongoing immigration targeted roundups across the nation.
Limón added that she felt “the issue lost its legs and people aren’t noticing the monitor, because people are angry about their paycheck, their food and their safety,” adding that “is what worries me more” than a request that was likely to be ignored. Limón concluded, “I would also ask what has our top Democrat [Veronica Escobar] done in Congress to resolve this issue.”
In closing, Fierro urged El Pasoans to “focus on supporting our local food banks and organizations such as EPIA, which are accepting donations to directly distribute to the families in need.”
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