Here's The Letter I Received From The Department Of Homeland Security

I've been following this closely since my husband has had similar problems lately despite being on the Trusted Traveler program. Received his redress number a few weeks ago. Gives me hope for a smooth homecoming when we return from England in a few weeks. Thanks for sharing.

Just be glad you are a white man and your name is not Muhammad. If that were the case no amount of writing letters would get you out from their additional screening. I've seen way too many people pulled out of lines at airports merely because they look middle eastern and have had friends who are american but indian ethnicity get put through additional screening over and over again at the airport. I don't feel safer with TSA in charge.

Thanks for posting the follow up Ben. I would add your redress number to your future bookings if possible. I can't hurt.

I wouldn't use the redress number unless the problem returned.

Actually putting a redress number is a one-time thing for your airline accounts right ?

the letter generic letter written by ass covering lawyers it seems

"We won't tell you what we did, or if we did anything, but you have 60 days to appeal our decision, which we may or may not have made." Very well then.

It's good to know the turnaround time for you is so quick and good to know the follow up story. It's time for me to apply my own. Hopefully I'll be off this annoying SSSS issue - can't wait!

You've been checked out and gotten it, so why not include it? What concerns might having a redress number associated on your tickets raise?

They recommend you do. If you dunt and you complain, guess what?

PUT IT ON!

"Bill says:
March 4, 2017 at 12:19 pm
Just be glad you are a white man and your name is not Muhammad. If that were the case no amount of writing letters would get you out from their additional screening. I’ve seen way too many people pulled out of lines at airports merely because they look middle eastern and have had friends who are american but indian ethnicity get put through additional screening over and over again at the airport. I don’t feel safer with TSA in charge"

Conflating the issues here, and more than a little unfair. The disaster that is the TSA is obvious. However, shouldn't we allow them to exercise some common sense in doing their jobs the best they can, even if that's not very good?

Screening will change if 1) terrorism is reduced, and/or 2) the terrorists start having names like Smith, O'Leary, or Rosenberg. The hard truth that we all should acknowledge is that, 1) may be possible, while 2) ain't happening. That's the on the ground reality. So with ALL of our families flying around in metal balloons 6 miles in the air, why would anyone from any background not understand this? It's unfortunate, but I don't think you can make a valid argument to say its not prudent.

@steve
What about names like McVeigh?

I think you should appeal. In your appeal, you should say you cannot reveal why you are appealing, nor can you reveal whether you are unsatisfied with the outcome of the redress procedure, nor can you reveal whether you even noticed a difference. In fact, you cannot even reveal whether you exist. But you expect them to answer your appeal in 60 days.

am I the only one who enjoys those secondary pat downs? Some hot TSA agents around here.

I have gotten a few phone numbers..,

I think there is no need to use your redress number. Like you suggest, you were being screened because you had been targeted (probably due to your travel patterns), and the redress process removed your name from their watch list. The redress number would only matter if you were being misidentified.

I can't help but think that your case was handled quickly because they know you are a prominent travel blogger, and they wanted you to blog that you were impressed by the process. My redress inquiry took about three months, despite the fact that I have an active government security clearance.

#resist the fascists

@steve

+1 to Paul's point about "McVeigh". Don't forget Lanza or Roof or Purinton either, and many others. Are you in favor of profiling on their demographics as well?

I am not sure what dilemma there is about adding the redress # to your future reservations. Since all that is required is to go to your profile and add the # and it will be put into all your records: what is the issue? Am I misunderstanding this post?

My question is, why put you through all this hassle to begin with? You were "guilty" until YOU took the initiative to prove yourself "not guilty." You wasted your time, and time is money. DHS had the ability to find out all your particulars BEFORE you were put on the list. As you said, is there a person out there with your name who is on the list? And if so, just how many people have your same name (it does not seem like a very common name)? I swear sometimes the people in these organizations do things just to have something to do for their own job security (if you aren't work, why are you there?). They don't care about who they hurt in the long run. I'm glad it all worked out but wonder how many others have had this same experience w/a positive outcome in the end. Consider the research for a followup story.

SSSS is random, based on federal aviation security rules, a random % of passengers need to be screened beyond the normal measures and the airlines determine who...the more you fly, the more often it happens. I have TSA precheck, Nexus/Global Entry and Secret Clearance with the government and still get it. My husband who travels with me has never gotten SSSS. Luck of the draw.

Just another reason not to go to the US.

OK, deep breath (and sticking to the content) . . .

@Lucky, while I am happy for you that your particular issue was (apparently) resolved, this is the closest thing DHS actually gets to acknowledging this:

| DHS TRIP can neither confirm nor deny . . . However, we have made any
| corrections to records that our inquiries determined were necessary, including, as
| appropriate, notations that may assist in avoiding incidents of misidentification . . .
| This letter constitutes our final agency decision. Pursuant to 49 USC 46110, you
| have 60 days to seek review of this decision in an appropriate United States Court
| of Appeals.

in the otherwise extremely generic CYA letter.

What I find most striking about the letter, however, is that -- while DHS cannot confirm or deny anything about YOU, they DO admit that they "have found that about 2% of the DHS TRIP complaints actually have some connection to the Terrorist Watchlist." Meaning, of course, that 98 percent of the complaints are about . . . ?

Sadly, @Bill is quite right, Lucky: "Just be glad you are a white man and your name is not Muhammad." Like him, I do not feel any safer with TSA in charge -- especially since, at so many airports, it's not really TSA but a private contractor! (After all, private contractors did so well in Iraq . . . NOT!)

Lucky, if it's so onerous to type the redress number, don't. But don't post about your horrendous experience afterwards.
I fail to understand why this is even a question. You've been asked to do something to make your own travel easier. So just do it already.

"Papers please" totalitarianism with a rabbit hole that just keeps getting deeper. Proud of being American ?

I don't ordinarily think I'm paranoid or even mistrustful. However, my first thought with this elusive and opaque answer is that the system is unreliable. I would not include a redress number unless I encountered further difficulties. At this point in America's convoluted political and social circumstances, a redress seems to draw unwanted attention, without indicating why, whom, what generated that attention.
My intuition says to stick with being a trusted traveler, consistently including that on the ticket/reservation.

@ted ---> Leaving the current political climate out of the equation, the whole purpose of having a Redress Number is to AVOID hassles at the airport. Say your name is Tim for a moment, instead of Ted. And let's say your last name is McVeigh. (That name should/would be on every watchlist were he not executed for his part in the Oklahoma city bombing.) Regardless of your passport being valid (i.e.: passing the initial scrutiny by the overworked TSA agent checking your boarding pass), your name alone triggers extra attention. You could have received your Trusted Traveler number up to five years ago, but that *other* Tim Veigh could have detonated his device 18 months ago -- AFTER you received your Trusted Traveler number . . . the Redress Number basically tells the TSA, "Yeah, yeah, we know, but we checked this guy out and he isn't THAT Tim McVeigh." This is why EVERY airline provides you with a place to add your Redress number to your profile, along with your TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry "Trusted Traveler" number. So unless you believe the black helicopters are arriving shortly . . . use it!

The fact that Ben was on the watchliSSSSt shows how broken the system is. If it can't verify that Ben *is not* a terrorist, how well does it verify that someone *is* a terrorist?

How many Benjamin Schlappigs are out there? A quick Googling shows who he is. Even easier -- he posts his travel plans and credit cards online! This shouldn't take even the laziest civil servant more than an hour to verify. Maybe 3 hours if they're in the middle of a NetFlix binge-fest at their desk.

I received a similar letter from DHS after my congressman and senator wrote to DHS. I had the issue for several years. Even got insulted and had a serious privacy violation at ORD after they were looking and laughing at my 83 year dead father's picture from whose funeral/burial I was coming back. Unfortunately, with the violence all over the world and extremists and reactionaries in power the dignity of humanity has reduced to a shallow dream. Regardless of our nationality, gender, religion, and ethnicity we have to stand together and defend what is right.
By the way, I have not traveled since I got the letter. Did the redress number help any of you in your travelling? Otherwise, I am going to take it to an appeal court.
Wish you all good luck!

My problem started in May 2017 when I was refused to board from Dubai. The redress process takes very long its now March 2018 still no response from them. I am South African, black, female, non Muslim, not on any travel ban, have never been arrested, I have close family relationships in US. This process has wasted money cause my cancelled trip was never refunded by the airline. I really feel bullied by the system.

i had the same issue, and just last week i received the same exact content of your letter, my question to you is can you print your boarding pass now from home? of it wont let you ?

do you get questioned also by border patrol if you travel overseas or all your trips are local?

i have been the same situation, i am a citizen, been actually for a while, middle eastern originally

So now that the redress has been resolved, do you still get the SSSS on your boarding pass?

I have a "Control number" from the "Redress Inquiry Program" from Homeland Security and they backed off for a while.
I was getting TSA pre check when I entered the number for awhile. I stopped March 31, 2019, like a light switch, on my RETURN flight? Thx AA.
Now I have so many "we went in your bag" tickets, I could wallpaper a bathroom.
It took 18 months to get this letter that I carry with me, as tattered as it has become.
I get the "scan' the "wand" & the "pat down", In clothes that I have worn in MRI machines.
They will always hate my (1) trip a year for some stupid reason.
Flying sucks and this nation is allowed to molest us over and over no matter how much they investigate you.

Lucky have you still had problems with the number or not?

hi there! I logged into my Southwest.com profile and noticed they had updated my address to what is on my driver's license and in the REDRESS box is the word "FLORIDA". I tried to delete it, but it is static. Any idea what that means? Thanks for any/all help!