Hot And Cold Biden Administration Decides To Go With Hot
Its not clear why the Biden administration decided to do this. One official told me it was because media and members of Congress were increasingly demanding information about KST border crossings amid the historic ongoing mass migration crisis at the border, so why not lighten the work load?
As I reported recently, Fox News broke a story that DHS logged 23 terrorist encounters in the 2021 calendar year . Rep. Chip Roy got a return on an information demand for terrorist border encounters: 43 at both at and between ports of entry for the time period he requested .
I emailed a question to CBP public affairs, but didnt hear back right away.
For whatever reason, the page went up and kudos go to the Biden administration, which has proven either hot and cold on whether to ever acknowledge this threat.
As I wrote last year, the Biden administration went icy cold in April 2021, when it quickly quashed a CBP press release that provided exquisite detail about two Yemeni terror suspects caught in Calexico, Calif., in January and March 2021. The press release lasted a single day but still resides in the Internet archives.
The administration went hot last March, when Biden-appointed DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted to a U.S. House Homeland Security Committee hearing that KSTs have tried to cross the border, the land border … not only this year but last year, the year prior and so on and so forth. No one reported that but me, of course.
The Terrorist Watch List Explained
David Inserra
Former Policy Analyst for Homeland Security and Cyber Policy
In the aftermath of the Orlando, Fla., terrorist attack, the fact that Omar Mateen was twice investigated by the FBI has many wondering why he was allowed to purchase firearms and why the FBI wasn’t aware of his plans for terror. Here are the key details about America’s terror watch lists and what they do.
WHAT IS THE TERRORIST WATCH LIST?
The Terrorism Screening Database is the official name for the terrorist watch list and is maintained by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center. The Terrorism Screening Database is the country’s central repository of foreign and domestic known and suspected terrorists.
It receives names of suspected international terrorists from the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, which is maintained by the National Counterterrorism Center in connection with the U.S. intelligence community and security agencies that have information on terrorists. It also receives data on domestic terrorists from the FBI.
The Terrorism Screening Database only includes information used to identify terrorists. The database itself does not include classified information on terrorists regarding what they have done and how we have been tracking them. For foreign terrorists, this classified information is maintained in the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, while for domestic terrorists, it’s kept by the FBI.
HOW IS THE TERRORISM SCREENING DATABASE USED?
DID THE FBI MAKE A MISTAKE?
You Can Be Turned Into An Informant
Keeping track of suspected terrorists may not be the only purpose the watchlisting system serves. Recent lawsuits allege that the FBI uses it to as leverage to turn people into snitches.
A 30-year-old Afghan American, Naveed Shinwari, found that after FBI agents questioned him about his 2012 travel to Afghanistan he was getting married he couldn’t obtain a boarding pass he needed for an out-of-state job interview. Soon he found himself talking to other FBI agents, who wanted to know if he knew anyone “threatening” his community in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Thats where it was mentioned to me: you help us, we help you. We know you dont have a job well give you money,” Shinwari, who is suing over the apparent quid pro quo, told the Guardian in April.
Similarly, in Oregon, a man named Yonas Fikre is suing the government for allegedly attempting to parlay his no-fly list placement into getting him to infiltrate a prominent Portland mosque. After Fikre declined, he claims, he traveled to the United Arab Emirates, where he was detained, beaten on the soles of his feet and placed in “stress positions” all, he says, while his torturers asked him questions about the Portland mosque that were suspiciously similar to those the FBI asked.
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Check Your Credit Reports For Ofac Alerts
Obtain a free copy of your credit report, since OFAC alerts may appear on them. Find out how to order your free credit reports from Annual Report.com. Even if you don’t find an alert, you may be flagged. According to Sinnar: “Despite the fact that the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives consumers the right to see all the information in their credit files, at least one major credit reporting agency reportedly includes OFAC alerts only on credit reports that are sent to businesses,” but not on copies sent to you.If you are flagged, you should contact the credit reporting agency to have your name removed.
Checking Your Licence Plate
Cameras are virtually everywhere when you’re on the road. If you’re driving somewhere, you’re likely on the government’s radar. From cameras at traffic lights to licence plate trackers that keep track of your tolls, it is virtually impossible to escape the eagle eye when you’re in transit. It’s not as if your travel locations are discarded either, as police departments around the country are compiling data of where people are traveling even those with no criminal history who are not deemed to be a threat. Apart from the overbearing government, there is another potential risk involved with the storing of this data. Hackers and third parties interested in this information can steal and sell it to the highest bidder. It’s mostly true that you wouldn’t really need to worry about the police if you’re not doing anything wrong, but hackers don’t care about criminal history.
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When And Where To Vote
Polls will open statewide at 6 a.m. and remain open through 7 p.m. For those who are in line when polls close, you are still allowed to vote as long as you remain in line.
A full list of voting centers for Moline, South Moline, Rock Island, South Rock Island and the rest of Rock Island County can be found online.
Those living in Moline can vote at five different locations: residents living in precincts 1, 2 and 6 will vote at the First Lutheran Church, voting for those in 3, 7, 8 and 11 will take place at Sacred City Church, voting at the Quad City Music Guild will be for those in living in 4, 9, 12 and 13, voters in 10, 14, 15, 16 will be at Christ Anglican Church, and voters in precincts 17, 18, 19 will vote at Western Illinois University.
U S Federal Bureau Of Investigations Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List
Neither an interest in justice nor public safety inspired the Federal Bureau of Investigation to launch its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Instead, the list was a publicity stunt intended to focus citizens attention on the Bureaus capture of the worst of the worst among fugitives, as a means of enhancing the FBIs reputation. Nevertheless, the list has aided the FBI in its capture of fugitives and has united both citizens and FBI agents in a shared effort to apprehend wanted criminals.
Currently, among the worst of those who are included on the list is Rafael Caro-Quintero, who is wanted for violent crimes in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit violent crimes in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to kidnap a federal agent, kidnapping of a federal agent, felony murder of a federal agent, aiding and abetting, and accessory after the fact.
Obviously, this is also a list you definitely DONT want to be on!
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Islamic State Khorasan Province
Also known asAlso known as: Islamic State in the Khorasan Province, Islamic State Khorasan, Islamic State Khorasan, IS Khorasan, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Khorasan , Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Khorasan , Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham Khorasan , Wilayat Khorasan, Daesh Khorasan, ISIL’s South Asia Branch, ISIS Wilayat Khorasan, Islamic State’s Khorasan Province , South Asian chapter of ISIL, ISIL Khorasan , Khorasan Chapter of the Islamic State, Islamic State Wilayat Khorasan , Khorasan branch of ISIS.
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Getting On A Government Watch List
Getting put on the watch list isn’t exactly like making prom queen, but it does require a nomination. An agent from the FBI, NSA or other federal agency nominates you. Then, that nomination moves on to the FBI’s Terrorist Review and Examination Unit. If you check out as a known or potential terrorist, it’s on to the Terrorist Screening Center and the watch list.
What exactly does it mean to be “appropriately suspected ” as a potential terrorist? The FBI and the federal government remain tightlipped about specific qualifications, continually referring back to the generic guidelines established in the Presidential Directive.
Besides having a criminal record for terrorist-related activities or known associations with terrorists or terrorist organizations, there are other ways people get pegged for the list. Active membership in some extremist groups could get you a spot. For instance, the eco-extreme group Earth Liberation Front has been the focus of FBI investigations for the property damage members have caused. The FBI calls this group’s activity “special interest terrorism” . But if you’re concerned that reading HowStuffWorks article How easy is it to steal a nuclear bomb will set off the fed’s alarm systems, don’t worry. Unless you actually attempt to steal a nuclear bomb yourself, you’re probably fine.
So what about all those average Joes who have been stopped and searched by government officials? Are they terrorists in sheep’s clothing?
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Port Of Entry Encounters
From the provided data, you cant read too much into the numbers at a controlled port of entry. These might, for instance, be individuals who drive a long-haul truck back and forth from Canada to Detroit, flagging on the database multiple times a week, or an American importer who frequently moves between Nuevo Laredo and Laredo. So those numbers are way higher than the ones reflecting illegal border-crossers.
POE totals may include multiple encounters of the same individual, the new section notes in the postscript.
Most hits at a POE probably are not foreign nationals without legal status from beyond Canada, Mexico, or the United States. They may be Canadians or Americans or Mexicans who have legal status to travel back and forth, thus not overtly trying to run and hide as terrorists.
Perhaps more concerning might be POE encounters with new foreign national travelers on the terror watch list who show up for the first time to claim asylum, which will raise bigger alarms . These individuals are usually denied entry.
The new statistics page doesnt break any of this down but CBP might consider doing so later for greater clarity.
U S Secret Services Most Wanted Fugitives List
Like the FBI, the U. S. Secret Service maintains a list of wanted criminals, its Most Wanted Fugitives. The current list offers rewards of $1 million each for information leading to the arrest of either Oleksander Vitalyevich or Artem Viacheslavovich Radchenko. The former recruited the latter to hack into the computer networks of the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission . . . and data related to the financial earnings of publicly traded companies before they were released.
Its not hard to see why you DONT want to be on this list!
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Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam
Also known asThe Tamil Tigers, the Eellalan Force, the Ellalan Force, the Tiger Movement, the Sangilian Force, the Air Tigers, the Black Tigers , the Sea Tigers, the Tiger Organization Security Intelligence Service and the Women’s Combat Force of Liberation Tigers .
DescriptionFounded in 1976, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is a Sri Lankan-based terrorist organization that seeks the creation of an independent homeland called “Tamil Eelam” for Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamil minority. Over the years, the LTTE has waged a violent secessionist campaign with the help of ground, air, and naval forces, as well as a dedicated suicide bomber wing. LTTE tactics have included full military operations, terror attacks against civilian centres, and political assassinations, such as the successful assassinations of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa. The LTTE has also had an extensive network of fundraisers, political and propaganda officers, and arms procurers operating in Sri Lanka and within the Tamil diaspora. Although the LTTE was militarily defeated in May 2009, subversion, destabilization, and fundraising continue, particularly in the diaspora.
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History Sources Uses And Scope
The TSDB is overseen by the FBI Terrorist Screening Center. It was created after the . A 2007 report by the U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of the Inspector General stated that the TSDB, as the “U.S. Government’s consolidated terrorist watchlist” contained “basic biographical information on known or appropriately suspected domestic and international terrorists” and that “the underlying derogatory information on individuals nominated for inclusion in the TSDB must demonstrate a reasonable suspicion of ties to terrorism.” The main source of names for the TSDB is the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment , a database that as of 2013, contained between 700,000 and 1.1 million names.
The TSDB is massive in size and includes names of people identified as potential security risks. It is distinct from the much smaller No Fly List, a subset of the TSDB. Those on the TSDB are not actively monitored because doing so would be impracticable and would raise civil liberties issues. Those on the TSDB are not blocked from buying guns and are not automatically barred from boarding airplanes or traveling. In 2019, the government acknowledged that it shared its list with 1,441 non-governmental entities that were “in some way connected to the criminal justice system” such as campus police, hospital security staff, and private detention facilities the admission alarmed some civil libertarian groups.
The FBI does not publicly confirm or deny any individual’s inclusion on the list.
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How Do You Create A Stock Watchlist
Most online trading platforms offer functionality for users to create their own watchlists, allowing them to easily track any security that catches their interest. To create a watchlist, you should first identify your key investment criteria and decide what kinds of investments you are looking for. Then, using a stock screener or similar tool, search for stocks that fit those criteria and add them to your watchlist.
Why Use Our International Security Screening Service
International security screening is becoming a priority for security-sensitive companies.
The International Security report reveals whether an individual can be found on any government watch lists for known or suspected activities involving terrorism, money laundering or other illicit activities. The search includes all “official” watch lists in Canada and the United States in addition to many other international watch lists.
In short, you will quickly find out if a candidate has ever been under government scrutiny for having been associated in any way with terrorist or criminal activities.
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How Do I Know If Im On The Watch List
You probably wont ever know for sure if youre on the master watch list. The FBI doesnt disclose its contents. But its a good bet that if the bureau visits you about a terrorism-related investigation, youre probably on there.
As a result of the ACLUs lawsuit with Knaeble, the government in 2015 began telling Americans they were on the no-fly list and offering some reasons. Travelers still dont get advance notice, however, so the only way to find out if you cant fly is to try to board a plane and see whether you get accosted by security. People on the list can file for redress. But Hugh Handeyside, a staff attorney with the ACLUs National Security Project, says the government provides scant information and there is still no process for contesting your inclusion in front of a neutral third-party.
Knaeble, the U.S. Army veteran stranded in Bogotá, was eventually able to return to the United States in August 2010 but not without trouble. He traveled for 12 days, passing through Panama City before arriving in Mexicali, California. Along the way, American and foreign authorities detained, interrogated, and searched him numerous times.
Even though the government has changed its policies about alerting travelers on the no-fly list, the ACLU contends that the process is still far short of constitutional and is fighting in court to get it changed. The debate continues.
Over 700000 People On Us Watch List: Once You Get On Theres No Way Off
A report by the New York Times Susan Stellin published over the weekend attempted to shine much-deserved light on an otherwise largely unexposed program of federal watch lists, but details about these directories including the names of individuals on them and what they did to get there remain as elusive as ever.
More than 12 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, federal agencies continue to keep lists on hand containing names of individuals of interest: people who often end up un-cleared to enter or exit the US due to an array of activity that could be considered suspicious or terrorist-related to government officials.
In 2008, the American Civil Liberties Union claimed that an Inspector General of the Department of Justice report found at least 700,000 individual names on the database maintained by the Terrorist Screening Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation sub-office tasked with overseeing the single database of identifying information about those known or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activity. Five years later, that number of suspicious persons is reportedly close to what it was at the time. Half-a-decade down the road, however, Americans and foreign nationals who end up on the governments radar are offered little chance to find out how they ended there, or even file an appeal.
According to some, thats just the start of whats wrong with these lists.
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