EL PASO, Texas \u2014 A new video from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is sparking controversy in airports across the country, including in El Paso.<\/p>\n
The message, featuring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, blames \u201cDemocrats in Congress\u201d for the ongoing government shutdown. While numerous airports, including those in Dallas and San Antonio, chose not to play the video, El Paso International Airport is showing it at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints.<\/p>\n
\u201cDemocrats in Congress refused to fund the federal government,\u201d Noem says in the video, which continues by explaining that many TSA employees are working without pay.<\/p>\n
City officials in El Paso say they never approved the video and disagree with its political tone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is very clearly a political video,\u201d said City Council member Chris Canales, who believes government messages at public facilities should remain neutral.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want the airport to be a neutral space for everybody to enjoy, free of that kind of political messaging,\u201d Canales said. \u201cThat\u2019s just not something the city chooses to share on their screens at the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Canales, TSA set up its own monitors to display the video, bypassing the city\u2019s control over airport screens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe federal government controls a portion of the airport\u2026 and so it was very important to them, I guess, to play this video,\u201d he said. \u201cThey brought in their own screens; you can see wires and hanging electrical cords.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canales argues the move could violate the \u201cHatch Act,\u201d a federal law dating back to 1939 that prohibits government employees from using public resources for partisan political activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt prohibits federal employees from using government time or resources to share political messages, to promote a particular partisan or political ideology,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n