Michigan Authorizes Cops To Rob Travelers at Airports

New laws in Michigan authorize the forfeiture of cash carried by travelers at the state’s airports without a criminal conviction. This is a substantial reversal of reforms the state legislature had enacted in 2015, 2017, and 2019, responding to complaints about forfeiture laws that allows police to steal and keep travelers’ property based on a bare, unproven allegation that it is somehow connected to criminal activity.

"Traveling with cash is not a crime," notes Institute for Justice senior attorney Dan Alban. "People regularly fly with large amounts of cash for a wide variety of completely legitimate reasons related to their business or personal finances. Allowing authorities to take air travelers' cash without a criminal conviction, simply because they have a large sum of money, is a blatant violation of their rights. This will lead to innocent people losing their money and is a massive step in the wrong direction by Michigan lawmakers."

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