WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center and Muslim Advocates urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release key documents pertaining to the potential targeting of Muslims, and individuals perceived to be Muslim, during travel through the nation’s airports and other ports of entry.

In three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the groups requested an expedited release of documentation about reported:

Searches of travelers’ phones and electronic devices.

• FOIA request: Re: Freedom of Information Act Request re Border Searches of Electronic Devices
• For more information: A Stand Against Invasive Phone Searches at the U.S. Border

Revocation of trusted traveler status for persons with Muslim-sounding names.

• FOIA request: Re: Freedom of Information Act Request re Revocation of Trusted Traveler Status

• For more information: Muslim-American Travelers Are Quietly Having Global Entry Privileges Revoked

Coercion of travelers to sign forms abandoning their legal status in the U.S.

• FOIA request: Re: Freedom of Information Act Request re Forms I-407 and I-275
• For more information: Dulles Border Officials Coerced As Many As 60 People Into Signing Away Rights, Lawsuit Says

“Following the President’s executive orders and the many allegations that have surfaced of potential abuses by DHS, it is critical to obtain further information to determine whether DHS has been exercising its responsibilities in a discriminatory manner,” said Amir Ali, Supreme Court and Appellate Counsel for MacArthur Justice Center’s Washington D.C. office. “Americans have a right to know more than what they have been told about the chaos and targeting of innocent citizens, mostly Muslim, that took place in U.S. airports, as well as what the administration has done to avoid that chaos and targeting in round two of the Executive Order.”

“The implementation of President Trump’s first Muslim Ban Executive Order raised serious questions about whether federal law enforcement officials at airports and other ports of entry were engaged in unlawful profiling based on religion or race,” said Johnathan Smith, Legal Director for Muslim Advocates. “Our nation’s airports are not Constitution-free zones and these FOIA requests will ensure that the rights of all those who are in America are fully respected.”

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