RantCrush Top 5: February 24, 2017

On Wednesday night passengers on a domestic Delta flight, going from San Francisco to New York, had to show their IDs just to get off the plane, as photos by some passengers show. Customs and Border Protection agents didn’t clarify why, but checked the ID of every passenger. You typically don’t need to show any ID to exit an airport after a domestic flight, and even on international flights IDs are not checked until you leave the plane and enter customs screening. “The head flight attendant came on and said, ‘Please have your papers ready’ three or four times,” passenger Matt O’Rouke said. “Someone corrected her and she said, ‘Oh I mean photo IDs.’” He added: “to which people were kind of weirded out.”

America. 2017. Now we have to show IDs to board and get off? To gate agents then ICE officers? Just want to be clear (at least for today). https://t.co/QTxpFTNGlT

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) February 23, 2017

It was later clarified that the CBP had been contacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to look for an individual with an outstanding removal order who was believed to be on the flight.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.