Leading Sikh organizations continue to engage TSA Washington D.C. – September 17, 2007 : In response to the concerns of the Sikh American community and the efforts of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the Sikh Coalition, and UNITED SIKHS, Congressional leaders issued a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator Kip Hawley. Congressional Leaders who sent the letter include: – Congressman Michael Honda, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus; – Congressman John Conyers, Chair House Judiciary Committee – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, Chair House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection – Congressman Tom Lantos, Chair House Foreign Relations Committee – Congressman Bobby Scott, Chair CAPAC Civil Rights Taskforce “We are concerned that the change was made without community consultation,…and that greater discretion for searching headwear without proper guidance for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), has lead to racial profiling,” said the statement. “A mandatory turban pat-down is tantamount to racial and religious profiling and is therefore unacceptable in our democracy. It would be intolerable if the new policy had indeed been implement, whether intended or not, in this manner.” Read the full text of the letter here. The Congressmen asked Secretary Chertoff and Administrator Hawley to explain aspects of the policy and its implementation, including how and why any misunderstanding and miscommunication occurred. In addition, they requested that TSA and DHS “work with representatives of the Sikh American community to ensure that the policy reflects a respect for the religious significance of turbans within the Sikh faith, and that the screening policy protects our homeland without sacrificing our religious freedoms.” SALDEF commends Congressmen Honda, Conyers, Lantos, Scott, and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee, for responding to the concerns of the Sikh American community brought forth by SALDEF, the Sikh Coalition, and UNITED SIKHS. SALDEF looks forward to continuing discussions with TSA and DHS to finding a solution which respects national security and the religious rights of all Americans. For more information on the new policy and your rights as a passenger, please see below: – Sikh American Groups Meet with TSA about Turban Screening Policy – New Airport Security Screening Procedure Affects Sikh Turban – Airport Security and Your Rights as a Passenger – Video of SALDEF on FOX NEWS
