DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Highlights TSA Screening Results and Technology Upgrades at Miami International Airport

Visit focused on screening outcomes, staffing, and modernization work at Florida’s busiest international gateway

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Miami International Airport (MIA) on Saturday, January 31, 2026, using a news conference at the terminal to highlight Transportation Security Administration operations and planned technology investments at airport checkpoints.

During the appearance, Noem described MIA as a high-volume security environment, citing an average of about 70,000 passengers per day and noting that airport officials recently screened nearly 100,000 travelers in a single day on January 4, 2026. She also cited an annual passenger total of more than 25 million for 2025 and said MIA employs more than 1,700 TSA officers.

Security claims included watch-list and weapons interdictions, plus trafficking-related enforcement activity

Noem said TSA officers prevented more than 10,000 people with suspected ties to narcoterrorism from traveling over the past year, and that another 85,000 people linked to terrorism or listed on a U.S. terrorism watch list were also stopped from boarding flights. The statements were presented as agency-wide screening results, referenced in the context of MIA’s role in broader aviation security operations.

She also highlighted work by MIA’s human trafficking unit, stating it conducted more than 2,200 inspections over the last year and that those efforts resulted in 24 arrests tied to child exploitation. In addition, she said screening activity led to the confiscation of 85 firearms from travelers, with 82 of those weapons described as loaded at the time of discovery.

Technology spending and checkpoint modernization were framed as capacity and security priorities

Noem said the Department of Homeland Security is funding additional airport technology upgrades nationally and pointed to expanded use of tools such as computed tomography scanning systems and enhanced imaging technology. She also referenced plans to increase K-9 deployments across the country.

The visit also intersected with MIA’s long-term capital program. Airport leadership has launched a $9 billion “Modernization in Action” initiative that spans roughly a decade and includes renovations across passenger-facing infrastructure, such as boarding bridges, restrooms, elevators, escalators, and moving walkways, alongside terminal and checkpoint efficiency projects.

• New Concourse K is planned as a South Terminal expansion, adding six new gates and related baggage and airfield upgrades, with completion targeted for 2029.
• Concourse-level improvements are scheduled across several terminals through 2026–2027, including security-door upgrades and checkpoint relocations in parts of the Central Terminal.

Broader context: airports balancing security messaging and operational information

MIA’s security operations have drawn attention in recent months not only for screening outcomes but also for how federal messaging is displayed inside terminals. Airport officials have publicly stated that terminal monitors prioritize nonpolitical travel-related information for passengers, including federal identification requirements.

Noem’s Miami appearance underscored two parallel pressures at major hubs: sustaining high-throughput screening performance while modernizing aging infrastructure to handle rising passenger volumes.

Airport and federal officials indicated that technology upgrades and facility projects are intended to reduce bottlenecks while maintaining security standards during periods of record demand.