Rep. Ellison Sends Letter to DHS Secretary Johnson on No-Fly Lists
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) sent the following letter on Monday to the Honorable Jeh Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to solicit information about the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program, which provides a means of redress for innocent Americans who have been incorrectly or unfairly placed on federal watch lists and no-fly lists. The inquiry comes in response to concerns raised by Fifth District constituents and other Americans who have experienced difficulty while attempting to travel at U.S. airports.
More than 20 members of Congress joined Congressman Ellison on the letter, which states that “Watch lists are an important tool to guard against terrorism, but they must strike the right balance with U.S. civil rights and liberties.â€
You can read the entire letter below and the full letter is available as a .pdf file below.
The Honorable Jeh Johnson
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
300 7th St. SW
Washington, D.C. 20024
Dear Secretary Johnson:
We write to learn more about the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) and its ability to resolve cases of American travelers who have been unfairly or incorrectly placed on federal watch lists. Watch lists are an important tool to guard against terrorism, but they must strike the right balance with U.S. civil rights and liberties.
We appreciate that the Department of Homeland Security has taken steps to provide redress for innocent Americans who have been placed on watch lists. DHS TRIP makes it easier for travelers to resolve cases of misidentification, such as false-positive matches in which the name of a law-abiding traveler is similar to that of a person who is on a list for good reason. However, beyond cases of misidentification, we are concerned that DHS TRIP provides no effective means of redress for unfair or incorrect designations. We also understand that nearly 24 Americans have been placed on watch lists while traveling abroad, inhibiting their return home. While never charged with a crime, these Americans found themselves temporarily stranded abroad.
Congress established DHS TRIP to provide innocent Americans a mechanism to correct their improper placement on federal watch lists. Thank you for considering the following questions to help us better understand whether the program is fulfilling its mission.
- 1. What is the process when a DHS TRIP application is filed? What other government agencies are involved, and what is their role? How many referrals to them are made, and what are the outcomes?
- 2. In each of the last three years, how many DHS TRIP applications have been filed, and how many resulted in a person’s removal from a watch list?
- 3. How many American citizens have submitted DHS TRIP applications while abroad? How were these cases resolved, and how long did each take?
- 4. Does DHS TRIP provide individuals the opportunity to challenge the evidence that led to their designation on a federal watch list? If so, what is the process?
- 5. Does DHS TRIP have the authority itself to remove someone from a watch list?
- 6. What demographic information (nationality, country of origin, age, gender, race) is considered when making the decision to place someone on a watch list? What is the demographic data of DHS TRIP applicants, and of those whose cases are resolved?
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. We look forward to your response.
