NewsWest 9
MIDLAND - Congressman Mike Conaway says he will be filing complaint with Homeland Security after hearing about a local woman's experience with the TSA.
"I was violated. I was violated, I have never felt so humiliated in all of my life," Beverly Ferguson said.
It's hard to forget those words from Ferguson, describing her experience at the Midland Airport. Just one week after she says a TSA agent performed the new "enhanced pat down screening," she sat down with NewsWest 9, speaking out against the new screenings, saying they left her feeling victimized.
On Wednesday, she spoke with NewsWest 9 again. Her tone was calmer, but her message was still was still the same.
"I had to speak up," Ferguson said.
"It's troubling, the way that she was treated," Congressman Mike Conaway, said. "The TSA is charged with keeping us safe on airplanes, they do their job and they do it really well. But getting on an airplane shouldn't require us to abandon all dignity."
Congressman Conaway says he will be filing a complaint with the Secretary of Homeland Security.
"But we're also making phone calls to the Homeland Security Committee who overseas the TSA, as well as the TSA themselves to get their sides of the story before we go any further," Conaway said.
Ferguson says she is very happy to hear the Congressman is taking an interest in her story.
"I knew he would care and be concerned that it did happen and he would try to do something about it," Ferguson said.
Conaway says this is still very preliminary and he doesn't want to point fingers. However, he also says he doesn't want passengers to compromise their dignity.
"Is there some other way we can go that's less intrusive and less undignified?" Conaway asked.
