Michigan's New Airport Exception
Imagine this: You're boarding a flight to Phoenix, brimming with excitement. You’ve found the perfect deal on a used car—a rare gem in pristine condition—and you’re ready to make it yours. Or maybe you're on your way back from Las Vegas, luck finally on your side, with a tidy bundle of winnings safely tucked into your carry-on. Either way, you’re carrying a significant amount of cash, and it’s all perfectly aboveboard. Life feels good.
But if your journey takes you through Detroit Metro Airport, things could take a dark turn. There, lurking in the shadows, is an organized group with an eye on your hard-earned money. They’re not your average criminals; these are people who operate under the cover of law. If they spot you and your cash, they’ll launch their well-rehearsed act: labeling you a drug dealer without a shred of evidence. The accusation might sound absurd, laughable even—but don’t laugh yet.
This gang knows the system, and they know it well. If they seize your money, the courts might side with them, no matter how outrageous the claim. Your innocence doesn’t matter; your protestations won’t save you. By the time their plan is set into motion, the odds are no longer in your favor.
And here’s the kicker: this gang has an official title. They’re not masked bandits or shadowy figures in back alleys. They’re called “Law Enforcement Officers.”
After Michigan enacted significant civil asset forfeiture reforms requiring a criminal conviction before police could keep seized money, two shady politicians introduced a proposal to roll back these protections. Rep. Graham Filler, a Republican and former Michigan Assistant Attorney General, and Alex Garza, a young Democrat who once clerked for Rashida Tlaib and aspires to a long political career, suggested a simple yet dramatic reversal. Their proposed amendment to MCL 333.7521a, titled “Civil Asset Forfeiture: Conditions, Requirements, and Limitations,” aimed to remove many of the legal safeguards currently protecting individuals:
This section does not apply to forfeiture proceedings in which the aggregate fair market value of the property and currency seized exceeds $20,000.00, excluding the value of contraband, if the forfeiture proceedings were initiated in connection with the seizure of property by law enforcement officers appointed by a public airport authority created under section 110 of the aeronautics code of the state of Michigan, 1945 PA 327, MCL 259.110, or by a regional airport authority created under section 139 of the aeronautics code of the state of Michigan, 1945 PA 327, MCL 259.139.
Law enforcement officers are not ashamed to admit that they specifically asked Filler and Garza to propose this law, which sailed through the legislature. The idea? Only criminals fly domestic flights with over $20,000 in their luggage, and here is an opportunity to make a ton of free money if we remove legal protections from travelers.
Currency detection dogs sniff out money, and TSA agents report large amounts of currency to their counterparts at DTW, which now stands out as one of the largest hubs for unethical cash grabs in the nation. Even if you only have a brief layover at DTW Detroit Metro Airport, law enforcement officers will conspire to seize your currency in Romulus, Michigan, because you are afforded virtually no legal protections under this new law.
