Originally published April 7 2015
Obama administration allows a selected list of known terrorists to freely travel in and out of the United States - a HALL PASS for terrorism
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) The Department of Homeland Security actually maintains a "hands-off" list of known terrorists or those suspected of engaging in terrorist activities, allowing them to travel into and out of the United States as they please, even as law-abiding Americans are harassed and harangued by being put on the no-fly list for political reasons.
As reported by The Daily Caller, the list is the subject of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch in February after DHS failed to comply with a July 2014 FOIA request for any materials related to the list.
The Daily Caller noted that Judicial Watch said in a press release that the original FOIA filing requested a "copy of a copy" of the DHS Inspector General report detailing a "hands-off list" that the massive agency allegedly maintained in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), two bureaus within DHS.
"The Obama administration's unlawful secrecy on this 'hands off' list raises concerns about terrorists being allowed into the country," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. "Even when it comes to protecting our borders from known terrorists, the Obama administration places secrecy and politics above national security. Our nation has reached a dangerous pass."
Judicial Watch said that the list was used to permit the entry of particular individuals into the country who were previously denied such entry or were made to endure additional screening by CBP because of suspected terrorist ties.
Known terrorists fly while innocent people are punished
The legal watchdog organization also said that it wants DHS to provide it with "any and all records of communication to or from DHS Inspector General Charles Edwards from May 21, 2014 regarding the aforementioned OIG report," The Daily Caller noted.
In a May 2014 announcement published on his Senate web site, U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, released internal DHS emails that detailed the "hands off" list that permits some individuals with potential ties to terrorism into the country. A letter from Grassley and the emails were sent to Jeh Johnson, DHS secretary, regarding the list.
The Daily Caller further reported:
In the letter, Grassley specifically asks for information about a nameless individual who allegedly is a member of the "Muslim Brotherhood and a 'close associate' of a supporter of Hamas, Hizbollah, and [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad," and was allowed into the country by DHS as a consequence of the alleged DHS policy.
They went on to add:
Almost two weeks after Grassley released the terrorist "hands off" list e-mails, the issue was found to be already under investigation by then-newly appointed DHS Inspector General John Roth.
Meanwhile, in April 2014, legal U.S. resident Awais Sajjad filed suit in federal court after learning he was put on the government's "no fly list" in September 2012 after he was turned back as he attempted to board a flight to Pakistan at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
Spy for us - or else
The Washington Post further noted that the government penalized him for turning down an offer to spy:
At the airport, FBI agents questioned Sajjad, a Muslim, before releasing him. But they later returned with an offer. In exchange for working for them, the FBI could provide him with U.S. citizenship and compensation. The FBI, the agents reminded Sajjad, also had the power to decide who was on the no-fly list.
When he refused, the FBI agents "kept him on the list in order to pressure and coerce Mr. Sajjad to sacrifice his constitutionally-protected rights," according to an amended lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in New York.
The suit, filed on behalf of Sajjad and three others, cites the federal government as violating their rights by keeping them on the list after refusing to spy on Muslim communities in New York, New Jersey and Nebraska.
Sources:
http://www.dcclothesline.com
http://dailycaller.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.dailypaul.com
http://www.grassley.senate.gov
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