Nabih Ayad (Left) with Nasser Beydoun at an ACRL press conference.

DEARBORN — This week, the Arab-American Civil Rights League (ACRL) filed a class action suit against the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Terrorist Screening Center for the continued targeting and monitoring of Arab and Muslim individuals at U.S. airports. 

The lawsuit named U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, FBI Director James Comey and TSC Director Christopher Piehota as the defendants. 

In a press release, the ACRL stated that thousands of Arab Americans have been subjected to unjust treatment due to the government’s “No-Fly-List” and “Terrorist Watch List.” 

While the local community has been aware of the “No-Fly List” for a few years, after several residents publicly came forward about being targeted at domestic airports, the “Terrorist Watch List” had only recently surfaced.

Earlier this year, a leaked document from the National Counterterrorism Center named Dearborn, home to the largest concentration of Arabs in the U.S., as having the second-highest concentration of “known or suspected terrorists”. 

Dearborn had only been surpassed by New York City— but its population is nearly 100 times greater. According to the ACRL, Dearborn’s placement on the list is a clear indication that the government has been targeting the Arab American community, which makes up more than 40 percent of the city’s population.

According to the ACRL, the government also seems to be taking a “neither confirm nor deny” approach when it comes to the verification of the lists. It is unknown who or how many individuals are on the list, nor what determines their placement on them.

Nasser Beydoun, a Dearborn businessman and former director of the Arab American Chamber of Commerce, was named as the plaintiff in the class action lawsuit.  

Beydoun told The Arab American News that he’s been subjected to extensive monitoring at U.S. airports for close to three years. He is constantly selected for secondary and additional screening, leading to extensive delays when traveling. His first experience of this treatment was on a domestic flight from Detroit to Chicago. 

“I’m not allowed to check-in online,” Beydoun said. “When they scan my boarding pass, a red alert notifies them to pat me down, search my bags and put me through bomb detection tests. At the very end, they call the national terrorist center in Washington D.C. to clear me for flying.”

Beydoun said he had complained about the unjust treatment on numerous occasions and he was told to contact the Transportation Security Administration to file a complaint. He contacted the agency on three different occasions before finally receiving a letter informing him that his complaint would be reviewed. 

However, Beydoun said the complaint has made no impact, as he is still subjected to extensive searches. He added that he also suspects the government may be monitoring him outside of his travels. 

“According to the secret document, when they target people, they give them access to all their contacts and associates,” he said. “They are able to monitor phone calls and gather intelligence. It has nothing to do with being a terrorist. It has more to do with civil liberties and harassment of an American citizen.” 

Beydoun said he believes several local residents in the Arab American community may be facing similar obstacles but are too scared to come forward. Since he’s spoken out publicly about his experiences, he has been contacted by other Arab Americans who have admitted to similar treatment as well.

“I have a bunch of emails and Facebook notifications of people telling me that they have the same problem,” he said.  “People are afraid to come forward because taking on the government ignites fear. As an ACRL board member I felt that it was import to lead by example and to show them that there is nothing to be afraid of.” 

ACRL Chairman Nabih Ayad said the civil rights organization has received numerous inquires from residents across the nation after establishing its 1-844-CANTFLY hotline. 

“Dozens of individuals have contacted us,” Ayad said. “It’s a national issue and it’s a shame that the government isn’t being more attentive in addressing this.”

While Ayad hasn’t obtained any specific details about the lists, he said the government admitted that a “No-Fly list” did exist in 2003 during a U.S. Senate Judiciary hearing. An estimated 30,000 people could be on the list. Ayad said he still hasn’t come across an individual who has successfully contacted the TSA and been removed from the list.

“No one has ever been able to get off the list that we know of,” Ayad said. “They are violating the Fifth Amendment on a blank basis. If the government is going to take action against you they should provide due process before they actually hurt you. They are basically saying we are going to throw you in jail first and then six  months down the road we may tell you why. It’s a violation of due process. It’s a slap in the face to all citizens who understand the freedoms and liberty of this country and what makes this country so great.”

Ayad said the government may argue that “flying isn’t a constitutionally protected right” in order to justify the list. However, Ayad sees no validity to this argument, because immigrants may be forced to travel out of the country when they are faced with an emergency. He cited the Fifth Amendment as a document that should be protecting this class of people. 

“In a nation of immigrants can you imagine how many people this can affect,” he said. “People may have to bury a loved one within 72 hours, and the government is basically saying take a boat there and get held up for days. They are doing everything in their power to try to hold on to these lists and we want to make sure it is deemed unconstitutional.”

Ayad said he commends Beydoun for having the courage to come forward and represent an entire class of targeted individuals. 

“The average individual doesn’t have tens of thousands of dollars to get justice in court,” Ayad said. “Other plaintiffs are afraid to speak out because of governmental stigmas. Beydoun is representing hundreds of thousands of people across the country. This is why we launched a class action lawsuit, in order to represent the class of people who don’t have the resources to move this case forward.”