Bahamas protests search of Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont

Sunday, October 19, 2003

NASSAU, Bahamas: The Bahamas government is reportedly furious over what they term was a recent "highly improper" search of Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont. 

Dame Ivy, her husband Reginald Dumont and an aide-de-camp were reportedly on the first leg of a holiday trip to St. Kitts via Miami and St. Maarten, when officials of the Transportation Security Administration pulled her aside for a "secondary" inspection. 

The search, according to the Nassau Guardian, was conducted after an alarm went off as she passed through a "magni-monitor" at Miami International Airport. The Bahamian government has urged the United States authorities to grant Dame Ivy "the same courtesies extended to Heads of Government upon their arrival and departure from the United States." 

Dame Ivy and Mr. Dumont were both reportedly in possession of their diplomatic passports, according to a government statement and were "ushered in one lane to pass through the magni-monitor and the other members of the group were ushered through another." 

However, at this point a beeper apparently sounded, and despite a protest by Mrs. Adams, and assurance by the MIA Protocol Officer and the American Airlines Special Services Officer that "Dame Ivy was the titular Head of State of The Bahamas and that Mr. Dumont was her spouse," a U.S. Transportation and Security Administration official insisted that a "secondary screening" would be necessary. 

The Guardian quoted a U.S. Embassy source as saying: "Heads-of-state, like a prime minister, that are traveling through the United States for a particular reason are met at the airport with secret service or diplomatic security, who expedite them so that they do not have to pass through ordinary screenings. But, around the world, in the United States, Governors General, especially if they are traveling for personal reasons, are not given armed escorts through the airports, and, therefore, they need to pass through primary screening." 

The official said the only reason Dame Ivy would have received an armed escort was if there was a security threat against her. And whether or not she possessed a diplomatic passport, she was still subject to searching, the person said. The source continued that, "in light of Sept. 11 and those type of kidnappings took place, the protocol is when boarding a commercial aircraft, unless you have armed escort, you must pass through primary screening." 

The source added further that other international diplomats, including Americans, are subject to similar procedures, including members of Congress and senators. 

"U.S. senators, members of Congress, any U.S. diplomat on official travel - we all have to pass through primary screening, and in every instance, if an alarm goes off, that alarm has to be reconciled. And, there are U.S. senators and members of Congress who had to take their shoes off to go through secondary screening," the official advised. 

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