Sikh Woman on US Flight Profiled as Terrorist Over a Breast Pump

A breast pump led to a terror alert on a Delta Airlines flight but the airline was quick to respond.

A Sikh activist and nursing mother’s simple preparation to gain access to a breast pump as she boarded a Delta flight caused passenger hysteria over terrorism. The incident left the mother “angry and shaken and sad.” But the airline was quick to contact her and offer an apology on Twitter.

The panic began when Valarie Kaur removed a luggage tag from her on-air bag so that she could more easily access a breast pump during a Delta flight from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. The move alarmed a passenger behind her, who then confronted her.

He was a white man and his face was angry. He asked why I removed the tag. I offered to explain but he said he didn’t want to know

Valarie Kaur in her Facebook update

She added the passenger then told other passengers in the line, causing a flight attendant to arrive, who she says was equally alarmed and angered.

Kaur updated her post to note that a Delta representative had contacted her through Twitter and offered an apology, and she pointed out that the rest of the flight crew had been professional and respectful.

.@DeltaAssist Thank you for responding immediately.

— Valarie Kaur (@valariekaur) December 3, 2015