The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) played a key role in supporting security measures for the 59th Presidential Inauguration. In the days leading up to January 20, hundreds of TSA personnel from across the country deployed to the National Capital Region to assist with physical security for inaugural events and at three major airports in and around Washington, D.C., as well as transportation hubs around the country, including mass transit and passenger rail.
“I am extremely proud of the men and women of TSA who supported one of our nation’s most cherished events,” said the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the TSA Administrator Darby LaJoye. “The commitment and vigilance of our screening officers, canine handlers, inspectors and federal air marshals who supported security efforts during the inauguration is a testament to their collective work ethic and dedication to our security mission.”
TSA officers deployed alongside U.S. Secret Service officers at designated security checkpoints throughout Washington, D.C. They came in from airports around the country to conduct physical screening of individuals who appeared at checkpoints near the White House, the Capitol and National Mall to secure the inauguration.
More than 400 TSA officers staffed dozens of security checkpoints established by the Secret Service to screen backpacks, duffle bags, handbags and other personal items before allowing them into the secure areas of Washington, D.C.
The day after the inauguration, those same TSA officers then deployed to assist with nearby airport security screening at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Those officers helped ensure that visitors to the region were able to get through the airport checkpoints safely and efficiently as they headed back home after the inauguration.
Before, during and after the inauguration, passengers who flew in and out of the National Capital Region saw law enforcement and explosives detection canine teams, random gate screening, and additional Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams at select surface transportation hubs. Additionally, TSA vetted these passengers against government watchlists to ensure they did not pose a security threat.
