Most Harvard University law students support racial profiling in airports to reduce travel delays, according to a recent survey. While the professors who conducted the survey selected their subjects believing they are ‘sensitive to civil rights issues,’ the respondents showed otherwise because shortening wait times is not a legitimate reason for targeting passengers based on race. However, using race as one minor factor in selecting travelers for further screening can make sense for the more important reason of ensuring safety.
No one enjoys having to arrive at the airport so much earlier or idling in those long lines, but travel delays are obviously far preferable to hijackings or terrorism. While Israel openly uses racial profiling, the United States has a markedly different situation and passengers should never be singled out solely because of their skin color or the name of the country on their passports.
Profiling by behavior, however, is perfectly legitimate and necessary to reduce risks. Passengers who have any suspicious items deserve to be fully searched, and additional screening should target those who have purchased one-way tickets on short notice and have no baggage, for example. Using race as one small supplemental factor makes sense because many terrorist attacks against the United States have been carried out by those of Middle Eastern descent. While not a defining characteristic, ethnicity can be used as a tool in maintaining secure flights.
Clearly, most Middle Easterners are not terrorists, and many terrorists are not from the Middle East. Therefore, random security searches also remain vital to keeping air travel safe. Neither racial or behavioral profiling is a magic ticket for securing U.S. airports, and people should never be subjected to intrusive, time consuming searches only because of their race.
The Harvard survey showed laziness and poor judgment by assuming waiting time could justify racial profiling. While Harvard students failed to realize it, having a safe flight matters far more than how long travelers wait to get on board.
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