An ex-American Airlines flight attendant is fighting for his job back after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a ‘security threat determination’ against him.
The security threat determination meant that he was no longer allowed to enter secure parts of US airports unescorted, which is an essential requirement for flight attendants and other airline workers.
As a result, the veteran flight attendant was terminated by American Airlines in March while he fights to have his professional flying credentials reinstated by the TSA—a process that he says is unfairly biased in favor of backing the agency’s original determination.
The circumstances behind the flight attendant being found to be a security risk follow his arrest on suspicion of the human trafficking of illegal migrants from South America into the United States.
However, the TSA only issued the security threat determination after the criminal case against him had been dropped and several months after he had returned working as a flight attendant.
The wild details of the flight attendant’s arrest have been revealed in new court documents filed in a lawsuit that seeks emergency legal relief from the TSA.
Alongside his flying job, the ex-flight attendant also worked as an international shipper for a USDA approved pet transportation company, regulaly driving pets across the border from Mexico into the United States.
The flight attendant had done this job for years without any issues, but in June 2023, he was contacted by a new client to transport three animals to San Antonio, Texas.
Initially, the flight attendant had been asked to transport the animals over the border from Mexico, but things “started feeling off” when the client kept on changing the pickup location, eventually setting on a location in Eagle Pass, Texas – because it would be cheaper than the cost of transporting the animals over the border.
The legal documents explain what happened next in the flight attendant’s own words:
“When I finally arrived, I was horrified to discover that the ‘animals’ were actually people. I was completely blindsided. My first instinct was to refuse transport, but I quickly received a threatening phone call claiming that the passengers were illegal immigrants, and that if I tried to alert law enforcement or leave, I would be arrested and sent to jail.”
“Under extreme stress and fear, I made the wrong decision to drive, something I regret deeply.”
The flight attendant says that despite his wrongdoing, he never tried to flee and immediately stopped when law enforcement pulled him over. He then fully cooperated with law enforcement during his arrest and subsequent investigation.
The criminal case was dropped just months later in October 2023, and after initially being suspended from his job at American Airlines, he was allowed to return to work.
Then, in November 2024, ten months after returning to work at American Airlines, the TSA issued the security threat determination. The flight attendant was removed from the master crew list manifest, and in March, his employment was terminated.
The flight attendant immediately filed an appeal through an internal TSA process but decided to withdraw from the process in May after he “became convinced” that the process was “unfairly biased” towards the agency.
“This TSA determination has placed an unlawful and unjustified hold on my professional aviation credentials, despite the fact that I am otherwise eligible to pass background checks required for law enforcement, military enlistment, school employment, and even a license to carry a firearm,” the legal papers continue.
In fact, the flight attendant recently renewed his firearm license without any issues.
“I understand and respect the TSA’s duty to protect national security, but I am not a threat,” the flight attendant explains. “I made a terrible mistake under duress, but I have learned an invaluable lesson. I want nothing more than to return to my career, rebuild my life, and move forward as a law-abiding citizen.”
The petition for review was filed in the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit late last month. The case can be found under filing number: 25-1151.
