(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/8/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommending that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) assess the potential for discrimination in its passenger screening practices and take action to minimize that discrimination.
SEE: TSA Should Assess Potential for Discrimination and Better Inform Passengers of the Complaint Process
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105201
The GAO’s study was conducted from May 2021 to November 2022 and includes requested information from CAIR, Sikh Coalition and the ACLU, among other organizations.
According to TSA officials in all four of the airports visited by the GAO for the purposes of the report, the TSA’s advanced imaging technology (AIT) resulted in certain passengers, including those who have coarse hair or wear religious headgear, getting referred to additional screening more frequently.
The GAO found that although the TSA had taken action to limit potential discrimination, they had not sufficiently assessed the extent to which these practices may result in certain passengers being referred to additional screenings.
In its report, the GAO made the following recommendations to the TSA:
- Collect additional data on passenger referrals for additional screening.
- Conduct assessments to determine the extent to which TSA’s passenger screening practices comply with agency non-discrimination policies to identify any needed actions to improve compliance.
- Take additional actions to better inform passengers about TSA’s discrimination complaint process.
- Strengthen TSA’s ability to analyze passenger discrimination complaints, including improving the collection and tracking of complaints data, to help inform training, procedures, and other initiatives.
In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We welcome the GAO’s recommendations for minimizing discrimination during passenger screenings. For decades, American Muslims have been subjected to burdensome, unnecessary and humiliating screenings at airports for no reason other than their faith. It is time for the TSA to take action to end these practices.”
He noted that CAIR’s most recent civil rights report, “Still Suspect: Islamophobia in the Mainstream,” recorded 2,823 immigration and travel complaints.
SEE: CAIR Issues New Report Detailing 6,700+ Civil Rights Complaints, Highest Number Ever Recorded
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com