Terrorist Watch List

Daniel's been on the no fly list for years. IF this bill passes, there will be a way for him to TRY and get off the list..... if he were to be approved! As of right now.... there is no way to be removed from the list.

Washington, DC - The United States House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on Tuesday that would allow individuals who are wrongly delayed or prevented from boarding a flight because their names are similar to ones on the terrorist watchlist to take action to prevent the problem from reoccurring. The Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely (FAST) Redress Act of 2009 (H.R. 559) was introduced on January 15, 2009, by Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY). The terrorist watchlist now contains over 1.1 million names. “With so many different names on the list, it is not surprising that every single day, countless Americans are misidentified as terrorists,” said Clarke.

If the bill becomes law, individuals who are stopped because of the terrorist watchlist will be able to appeal to the Department of Homeland Security to prove that they are not the same individual as the one on the terrorist watchlist. Individuals who appeal successfully will be placed on a “Comprehensive Cleared List,” which should prevent them from experiencing future delays simply because there is a similar name on the terrorist watchlist.

“The watchlist is only as good as the information on it,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, in calling for the passage of the Act.

The bill could make the airport experience better for Iranian Americans and other minority groups that have faced extra scrutiny when trying to fly.

There certainly is room for improvement. In 2006, Iraqi blogger and activist Raed Jarrar was prevented from boarding a JetBlue airplane because he was wearing a T-Shirt that said “we will not be silent” in English and Arabic. Airport security told him it was like “going to a bank with a T-Shirt reading ‘I am a robber,’” and he was forced to cover the message by putting on a different shirt. Jarrar and the American Civil Liberties Union sued JetBlue, alleging Jarrar had been illegally discriminated against. JetBlue agreed to settle the case for $240,000 in January.

Persons of Middle East descent have not been the only ones affected by tight airport security and the burgeoning terrorist watchlist.

At least one Congressman, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), says he has felt the burden firsthand. The Congressman’s name is on the terrorist watchlist, and consequently he is subjected to repeated searches and required to show multiple forms of identification.

"It seems there is not any way for me to get off [the terrorist watchlist],” wrote Rep. Lewis. “If I encounter these problems as a Member of Congress showing my congressional identification, drivers' license, and a clearance letter from [Transportation Security Administration], you can only imagine what the average American suffers."

The bill passed by a vote of 413 to 3. The House passed the same bill last year, but it died in the Senate, when the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee failed to take action on the bill.