The Terrorist Screening Database is an important tool for the Department of Homeland Security. It’s meant to be utilized by the Transportation Security Administration to screen flight passengers so that known terrorists can be kept out of the country. According to the FBI, “The Terrorist Watchlist is made up of approximately 400,000 people. The reasonable suspicion standard includes known or suspected terrorists ranging from suicide bombers to financiers. The “No Fly” list has its own minimum substantive derogatory criteria requirements which are considerably more stringent than the Terrorist Watchlist’s reasonable suspicion standard. In order to be placed on the No Fly list, a known or suspected terrorist must present a threat to civil aviation or national security. Consequently, the No Fly list is a very small subset of the Terrorist Watchlist currently containing approximately 3,400 people;”
There are hundreds of thousands of names in the database but a relatively small amount of these people will be kept off of planes. In fact, the “No Fly” list is just one of 2 subsets of the Watchlist that are used to screen passengers. There is also a “Selectee” list and known or suspected terrorists on that list will merely receive additional screening before being permitted to board a plane. It’s disturbing that only two small parts of the entire 400,000 name list are actually used for passenger screening. It’s scary to know that people on one of the lists are permitted to board a plane in or heading to the US.
Recent testimony by a TSA official to a DHS subcommittee leaves Americans wondering if the TSA is doing all it can to protect the nation. According to CNS News, TSA administrator Gail Rossides testified about the agency’s use of the two more specific lists used, which begs the question, what about the hundreds of thousands of other suspect person on the main list?
There are hundreds of thousands of names in the database but a relatively small amount of these people will be kept off of planes. In fact, the “No Fly” list is just one of 2 subsets of the Watchlist that are used to screen passengers. There is also a “Selectee” list and known or suspected terrorists on that list will merely receive additional screening before being permitted to board a plane. It’s disturbing that only two small parts of the entire 400,000 name list are actually used for passenger screening. It’s scary to know that people on one of the lists are permitted to board a plane in or heading to the US.
Recent testimony by a TSA official to a DHS subcommittee leaves Americans wondering if the TSA is doing all it can to protect the nation. According to CNS News, TSA administrator Gail Rossides testified about the agency’s use of the two more specific lists used, which begs the question, what about the hundreds of thousands of other suspect person on the main list?
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