Othering for Profit at the TSA Counter
What's actually happening: Bloomberg reports the TSA will now officially refer to non-US citizens as 'aliens,' dusting off a term that had supposedly been retired from federal lexicon in 2021 by the Biden administration. Apparently, this semantic regression, reversing a previous effort to use more inclusive language like 'non-citizen' or 'immigrant,' somehow enhances 'security protocols' at US
airports. One might wonder why a change in terminology, from one bureaucratic euphemism to another, garners such little critical attention beyond surface-level reporting. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, has a documented history of leveraging public anxiety for increased funding and expanded surveillance, a pattern visible since its post-9/11 inception. For instance,
the agency received over $90 billion in FY 2024, yet it consistently ranks poorly in effectiveness reviews. This new directive, reminiscent of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act which codified 'alien' status, conveniently allows for broader discretion in screening and data collection without actually improving security, but certainly expanding control. This linguistic pivot isn't merely
archaic; it's a strategic move to rationalize increased scrutiny and potential harassment based on immigration status, not actual threat assessment. The establishment media, ever eager to frame such developments as mundane administrative updates, completely misses how this 'othering' language has historically paved the way for policies that target vulnerable populations. The implications for