The head of civil rights for the US Department of Homeland Security is urging Muslim air travellers to register with the federal government before flying to reduce the chances they might be stopped at an airport because their name is on or similar to names on an anti-terrorism watch list. Registering by completing a form and providing copies of documents will not completely eliminate the chance that a Muslim traveller will be singled out for closer scrutiny before or after flying, but the department wants to improve its relations with Muslims and Arab-Americans, said Daniel Sutherland.
âWe need to listen to their concerns,â he said at the seminar on Homeland Security sponsored by the Knight Centre for Specialised Journalism. âWe need to build a level of commitment and trust thatâs unprecedented in our nationâs history, not an âus-versus-themâ perception in the community.â One way to do that is by having Muslim and Arab-American travellers complete the form on the webpage of the Transportation Security Administration, a division of Homeland Security responsible for protecting mass transit systems including airports.
The two-page âPassenger Identity Verification Formâ asks for personal information including name, address, birth date, height, weight, eye and hair colour, and requires copies of three of the following documents: passport, visa, birth certificate, naturalisation certificate, voter registration card, government identity card or military identity card. Once completed, the Homeland Security department shares the information with airlines, who then are able to compare it against security lists that might otherwise red-flag a passenger. The goal is to distinguish a traveller from people whose names - or close variations thereof - appear on US no-fly lists compiled by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. It does not remove a name from the list, but seeks to differentiate between a person of interest and someone who has no connection with them. |