Security poor at international terminals

January 10, 2002 Posted: 11:20 AM EST (1620 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- International passenger areas at major U.S. airports are so poorly designed that passengers could easily sneak through or hide contraband, a Justice Department report says.

The department's inspector general blamed inadequate oversight by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is supposed to make sure airports that receive international passengers have secure inspection areas.

Such areas at 42 international airports across the country were poorly designed and had numerous monitoring problems, said the report. Holding rooms where potentially inadmissible foreigners were detained were too small; 13 airports had no holding rooms at all.

"As a result, airports were vulnerable to illegal entry, escapes, injuries, health hazards and the hiding or disposing of contraband or documents," said an executive summary of the report by Inspector General Glenn Fine.

The findings came amid heightened concerns about airport safety following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Three of the nation's busiest international airports -- in New York, Los Angeles and Miami -- need the most extensive work to improve monitoring of passenger inspection areas, the report said.

The INS approves the design of passenger inspection areas, and the agency had asked the inspector general to review such facilities at international airports because immigration officials were concerned about the adequacy of holding rooms.

The report concluded that the INS had not pushed airlines and airports to meet 50-year-old safety requirements for inspection areas.

INS officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

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