Suit Filed Against U.S. Government Over No-Fly List

On April 5, 2016, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of Americans placed on the “No Fly List” created and maintained by the United States government.

In the suit, which is pending in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, Plaintiffs allege that persons were placed on the list, including a seven-month-old baby, even though it was clear they were not terrorists. They claim that nominations to the federal watch list were made based “solely upon a hunch (based upon his race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, or First Amendment protected activities).”

Consequently, Plaintiffs contend that the government has deprived innocent individuals on the list of their protected rights—preventing them from both domestic and international travel, closing bank accounts and having their U.S. citizenship applications delayed indefinitely.

In the past, the U.S. government has been party to lawsuits challenging the Terrorist Screening Center’s methods of the compiling the “No Fly List.” Despite the suits, few changes have been made.

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