The Dept. of Homeland Security has
launched a Web site to aid airline passengers who may have been
mistakenly placed on the government's no-fly list.
First announced
in late January, the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program Web site
[www.dhs.gov/trip], went live on Feb. 21.
"We're making
travel more efficient and secure by offering a convenient redress
process," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in a
statement. "Eliminating false-positives makes the travel experience
more pleasant for legitimate visitors, and it frees up our
front-line personnel to apply even greater scrutiny of those
individuals who truly present safety and security
risks."
The DHS said the
secured site enables travelers to outline their concerns regarding
misidentification.
Once
investigated, corrected information on misidentified passengers is
shared with applicable DHS agencies, such as the Transportation
Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the
State Dept., as well as airport and airline operators, if
necessary.
The TRIP program
was proposed jointly by the DHS and the State Dept. as part "Secure
Borders, Open Doors" a multifaceted strategy rolled out in January
2006 to bolster border security and expedite travel procedures to
and within the U.S.
The program
received broad support from the travel industry, which has long
sought a remedy for travelers mistakenly placed on the no-fly
list.
To contact reporter Michael Milligan, send e-mail to [email protected].