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A federal lawsuit is challenging how airport security agencies handle cash carried by domestic travelers, arguing that thousands of dollars are being taken without clear legal grounds.
The case targets the Transportation Security Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration over what attorneys describe as unlawful cash seizures at airports across the United States. While federal law requires travelers entering or leaving the country with more than $10,000 to declare it to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there is no legal cap on how much money someone can carry on a domestic flight.
Dan Alban, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, says that distinction matters. In a statement, Alban said the agencies are “treating cash like it’s contraband.”
“It’s perfectly legal to fly with any amount of cash and travelers should not be subjected to any additional scrutiny — let alone seizure of themselves or their property — because they are traveling with ‘large’ amounts of cash,” he added.
The class action was filed in 2020 on behalf of Terry Rolin and his daughter, Rebecca Brown. According to the complaint, Brown was traveling through Pittsburgh International Airport in August 2019 with $82,373 in cash that Rolin describes as his life savings.
The lawsuit claims TSA officers flagged Brown’s carry-on after X-ray images showed what they believed was a large amount of currency. The filing states, “When she went through TSA transportation security screening at the Pittsburgh airport, TSA screeners pulled aside Rebecca’s carry-on luggage solely because they observed via X-Ray that it contained a ‘large’ amount of cash. They did not further inspect her carry-on luggage or the cash to see if it was concealing any dangerous or prohibited items.”
After TSA cleared her, a DEA agent allegedly seized the money. The complaint says the funds were held for seven months.
In court filings, TSA stated it has no policy extending screenings based on large sums of currency and cited internal guidance that says “there should be no reason to ask questions of the passenger about currency.”
Litigation is ongoing, with judges still weighing key motions related to both agencies.
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