Sikh Americans across country have been subjected to inconsistent and improper screening procedures Washington D.C. – May 21, 2007 – Over the past several months, SALDEF has lodged several complaints with the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) regarding Sikh Americans being required to either have their daastars (the Sikh religious head covering) patted down or in some cases removed completely, in violation of stated TSA protocols, prior to passing through airport check points at different airports across the country. In response to these complaints, SALDEF has initiated dialogue with leading officials of the TSA to address the communities’ concerns. In each of the incidents, the Sikh American air travelers passed through the security check point metal detectors and the ‘puffer’ machine, which blows air at passengers to determine if they have any chemical residue on their person, without any alarm sounding. Subsequent to the successful security screening, TSA agents required that the Sikh American gentleman submit to a pat-down and/or remove their daastars for further inspection. These violations have occurred in a variety of locations including San Francisco, CA; Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT and most recently Buffalo, NY. As explained in the DOT guidelines: “The security personnel should use the “but for” test to help determine the justification for their actions: “But for a person’s perceived race, ethnic heritage or religious orientation, would I have subjected this individual to additional safety or security scrutiny?” If the answer is “no” then the action is likely to be unjustified and violate civil rights laws.” In each of theses cases, it appears that none of the respective air travelers were engaged in any suspicious activity, which would subject them to such treatment. SALDEF believes that the Transportation Security Officer’s (TSO) involved with these cases improperly followed DOT and TSA policies which explicitly prohibit profiling based on national origin, race, or religion. “Some Sikh American travelers have been subjected to humiliating treatment at the hands of screeners who have not consistently applied TSA prescribed protocol,” said SALDEF Managing Director Kavneet Singh. “While safety is of paramount importance, all passengers must be treated with equal respect and not singled out solely because of their physical appearance.” Over the past several months, SALDEF has been working with national TSA officials to address the community’s concerns over improper screening. These initiatives include: An individualized training with the Federal Security Directors and TSA officials at the airports where these incidents occurred. A national training program for TSA officials and personnel to ensure that front line staff is aware of the internal policies and procedures around screening individuals with religious headgear. SALDEF thanks the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security for their progressive response to these incidents and is hopeful that when these pre-emptive programs are implemented, that not only the Sikh American community but all communities will be able to fly without fear of being profiled simply due to their physical appearance. If you believe you have been the victim of improper screening while traveling or been subject to any form of harassment, please report it immediately by contacting SALDEF at 202-393-2700 ext 27 or info @ saldef.org.
