Friday, July 26, 2024

What’s A Government Watch List

Don't Miss

U S Department Of Drug Enforcement Administrations Most Wanted Fugitives List

I’m on The Government Watch List | BOOTH

The U. S. Department of Drug Enforcement Administration also maintains a watchlist of its Most Wanted Fugitives. The individuals on this list, current and past, are dangerous people who have committed or are charged with horrific crimes, including the kidnapping and murder of a federal agent,drug trafficking, conspiring to distribute heroin, and the use of minors in drug trafficking.

The DEA cautions that many of these suspects or fugitives are armed and dangerous and lists rewards for some, including Rafael Caro-Quinetro , Nemesio Oseguera-Cervantes , and Dario Antonio Usaga David .

The huge resources of the DEA, both in regard to personnel and to funding the millions of dollars in rewards offered as incentives for information regarding some of these suspects and fugitives and the punishments awaiting those who are captured and convicted make this a list you DONT want to be on!

Why Are Government Watchlists Different From Other Watchlists

While government watchlists are one of the most common watchlists to use, there are also other private watchlists out there. Why might you want to use a government watchlist instead of a private watchlist? There are many reasons a business might choose to use a government watchlist instead of a private one.

  • More information
  • Extremely comprehensive
  • Foreign and domestic

Of course, this isnt a complete list of reasons, and there are many reasons you might want to use either a government watchlist or a private watchlist. However, the fact that government watchlists are public and include both foreign and domestic concerns is a significant reason many businesses use them.

What Is A Watchlist

A watchlist is a set of securities that an investor monitors for potential trading or investing opportunities.

Many brokerage and financial platforms allow for easy construction and viewing of watchlists. A well-organized watchlist can help identify trading opportunities, track portfolio performance, or monitor hot or popular stocks.

You May Like: Government Mortgage Stimulus Program 2020

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.

U S Transportation Security Administrations No

Understanding Presidential Appointments (Whats Up With ...

The No Fly List of the U. S. Transportation Security Administration is a subset of the U. S. government Terrorist Screening database. It designates individuals prohibited from boarding an aircraft, including some who may be permitted to board after undergoing additional security screening checks than those undergone by passengers whose names are not on the list.

The U. S. government cannot prevent people named on the No Fly List from flying home from another country and is obligated to assist such persons in doing so if they are prevented from boarding an airplane for that purpose. However, the process is complex and time-consuming, and FBI agents or other U. S. officials may seek to question or interrogate you while you are abroad, after your denial of boarding, and while you are seeking authorization to fly back to the United States. This situation can occur even when names are added to the No Fly List by mistake.

Eight situations can cause someones name to be listed: suspicion that one is involved in direct terrorist activity travel to certain countries ones past comments having a name similar to that of another person whose name is already on the list refusing to become an FBI informer a clerical error open warrants or other law enforcement issues and even controversial tweets.

Also Check: How To Get Free Housing From The Government

What Are The Amber

Brits who have had two doses of the vaccine, with the second one at least 14 days prior to travelling, can skip the 10-day quarantine if returning from amber countries.

However, countries on the amber-plus list are not included in this.

This means even fully vaccinated Brits must still quarantine for 10 days at home when returning from the countries on the list.

They must also have a pre-arrival Covid test and a filled in Passenger Locator Form, as well as two tests on day two and day eight pre-booked.

You May Like: Free Government Flip Phones For Seniors

How Does A Government Watchlist Help Businesses

So what does a government watchlist actually do for your business? There are a lot of benefits your company might experience when you start using a government watchlist. There are a variety of benefits that you could experience with a government watchlist, which means the watchlist will help you do a variety of things more easily.

  • Do your due diligence.

Recommended Reading: Is The Government Shutdown Again

Why Has London Been Added To The Watch List

The capital has been added to the watch list due to a recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases recorded in the city.

The most recent daily figures showed 620 coronavirus cases were reported across London, the third highest number of any region of England.

In the week leading up to September 21, Redbridge had the highest infection rate per 100,000 residents compared to other boroughs, at 55.4.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the city was at a worrying tipping point, with hospital admissions increasing.

Thirty-five more patients with Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals in the capital in the 24-hour period preceding Fridays announcement, taking the total number of coronavirus patients on hospital wards in the city to 212, of which 40 are on ventilators.

London is at a very worrying tipping point right now, Mr Khan said.

Were seeing a sharp rise in 111 calls, hospital admissions, and patients in ICU.

Read Also: Federal Government Dental And Vision Insurance

What Is A Government Watch List

A Former FBI Agent Explains the Terrorist Watch List | Explorer

The watchlist includes domestic and international, government, law enforcement and regulatory databases that store information on individuals who are on a criminal list or prohibited in certain industries such as finance and healthcare.

Among such people are specially designated nationals, terrorists, narcotics traffickers, money launderers, blocked persons, parties subject to various economic sanctioned programs who are forbidden from conducting business and those involved in the proliferation of mass destruction weapons.

Recommended Reading: Government Jobs In Lafayette La

What Is A Sanctions Or Watchlist Check

Sanctions checks are specialised searches that include a number of international, government or regulators sanction databases that identify individuals who are prohibited from certain activities or industries. For example, an Office of Foreign Assets Control check indicates specially designated nationals, terrorists, narcotics traffickers, blocked persons and vessels and parties subject to various economic sanctioned programs who are forbidden from conducting business in the United States, as well as entities subject to license requirements because of their proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It will also cover sanctions issued by industry regulators, for example prohibited from working in the financial industry. Sanctions checks may be performed by a wide range of employers and are often required in regulated industries like healthcare and financial services.

Profiling Categories Of People

While the nomination process appears methodical on paper, in practice there is a shortcut around the entire system. Known as a threat-based expedited upgrade, it gives a single White House official the unilateral authority to elevate entire categories of people whose names appear in the larger databases onto the no fly or selectee lists. This can occur, the guidelines state, when there is a particular threat stream indicating that a certain type of individual may commit a terrorist act.

This extraordinary power for categorical watchlistingotherwise known as profilingis vested in the assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, a position formerly held by CIA Director John Brennan that does not require Senate confirmation.

The rulebook does not indicate what categories of people have been subjected to threat-based upgrades. It is not clear, for example, whether a category might be as broad as military-age males from Yemen. The guidelines do make clear that American citizens and green card holders are subject to such upgrades, though government officials are required to review their status in an expedited procedure. Upgrades can remain in effect for 72 hours before being reviewed by a small committee of senior officials. If approved, they can remain in place for 30 days before a renewal is required, and can continue until the threat no longer exists.

Don’t Miss: Sell Solar Energy To Government

Us Government Watchlisting: Unfair Process And Devastating Consequences

The U.S. government today maintains a massive watchlisting system that risks stigmatizing hundreds of thousands of people, including American citizens, as known or suspected terrorists based on secret standards and secret evidence, without a meaningful process to challenge error and clear their names. The watchlists in this system are shared widely within the federal government, with state and local law enforcement agencies, and even with foreign governments, heightening the negative consequences for listed individuals. Being placed on a U.S. government watchlist can mean an inability to travel by air or sea invasive screening at airports denial of a U.S. visa or permission to enter to the United States and detention and questioning by U.S. or foreign authoritiesto say nothing of shame, fear, uncertainty, and denigration as a terrorism suspect. Watchlisting can prevent disabled military veterans from obtaining needed benefits, separate family members for months or years, ruin employment prospects, and isolate an individual from friends and associates.

Why Choose The Mintz International Security Screening Service

Upcoming Government Job in Odisha After Corona ...

With over 95 years of experience in the background check industry, Mintz Global Screening has the expertise to offer personalized and highly reliable services. This is principally due to our extremely rigorous investigative methods, along with a consultative approach. It is no coincidence that we are now recognized as leaders in our industry.

When choosing our international security screening service, you will benefit from unique advantages:

  • International search on various government watch lists
  • Includes the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list and the OSFI Canadian Sanctions List
  • Short processing time

You May Like: Environmental Social And Governance Esg Factors

Death And The Watchlist

The government has been widely criticized for making it impossible for people to know why they have been placed on a watchlist, and for making it nearly impossible to get off. The guidelines bluntly state that the general policy of the U.S. Government is to neither confirm nor deny an individuals watchlist status. But the courts have taken exception to the official silence and footdragging: In June, a federal judge described the governments secretive removal process as unconstitutional and wholly ineffective.

The difficulty of getting off the list is highlighted by a passage in the guidelines stating that an individual can be kept on the watchlist, or even placed onto the watchlist, despite being acquitted of a terrorism-related crime. The rulebook justifies this by noting that conviction in U.S. courts requires evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, whereas watchlisting requires only a reasonable suspicion. Once suspicion is raised, even a jurys verdict cannot erase it.

Not even death provides a guarantee of getting off the list. The guidelines say the names of dead people will stay on the list if there is reason to believe the deceaseds identity may be used by a suspected terroristwhich the National Counterterrorism Center calls a demonstrated terrorist tactic. In fact, for the same reason, the rules permit the deceased spouses of suspected terrorists to be placed onto the list after they have died.

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?

Also Check: Government Student Loans For Graduate School

Why Is The Government Watch List Off

While the government makes no secret of the lists existence, its official contents are off-limits to the public. Thats because the federal government believes if terrorists are aware of being on a watch list, they will become more vigilant and tricky in committing heinous crimes.

These are the people the U.S. government doesnt want to board planes, enter the country or obtain a visa without a lot of hassle. While the government makes no secret of the lists existence, its official contents are off-limits to the public.

Are You On A Federal Watch List

Government to release a national watchlist on illegal drugs

After learning of what happened in Orlando, Florida over the weekend, members of Congress held a 15 hour filibuster, pushing for a Senate vote on greater gun control.

Were hearing the terms watch list tossed around in the wake of the Orlando terror attack. The shooter, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to ISIS before opening fire and was investigated by federal authorities, put on a terror watch list and then removed. How do you get placed on one of these watch lists, and whats the purpose?

The American Civil Liberties Union reports there could be more than a dozen government watch lists out there, including the No-Fly List, Most Wanted List and Terrorist Exclusion List.

Are you on a government watch list? asked Reporter Bradford Arick.

No? Not that I know of, replied Cade Hamilton.

Does it concern you that you might be on one but you dont know? Arick asked.

Well I fly a lot so I guess I would know by now if I was but I mean how am I supposed to know if I am? countered Hamilton.

The government does not have to tell you youre listed. If youre on the No-Fly List for example, you simply cant board your flight and thats it, no explanation required.

For me I dont really need to know. Im not the person going out and chasing terrorists. Im not scared in my everyday life that theyre going to come out and attack me, said Lindsay Breuler.

I wouldnt even know. How do you find out if youre on one? asked Patricia Lawson.

Most Read

Also Check: Government Auto Insurance For Low Income

Two Steps To A Consistent Screening

  • Identity verification

The first step is to profile the person conducting financial transactions via identity verification using multiple independent and reliable data sources.

  • Watchlist screening

The second step is to run the identity profile against a comprehensive set of watchlists. The effective way to do it will be by incorporating a global watch list screening solution that is faster and always accessible for smooth new client onboarding.

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.

Recommended Reading: Release Of Claims Government Contract

How To Get Off A Government Watch List

If you aren’t a Senator who can call up the head of Homeland Security, or a high-powered nun whose boss who can ring up Karl Rove, working free from government watch lists will be a tedious and not-very transparent process.

The first rule for most people in getting off a watch list is to accept that you are not on a list.

Most likely, if you are being singled out at the airport for extra scrutiny, or your credit report says you might match a Treasury list, you are the victim of a bad matching algorithm or a vague watch-list entry for some other person.

For instance, men named Robert Johnson across the country have been logging extra hours at airports because there’s no way for the airlines to know, without an I.D. check, which Robert Johnson is the one the government is looking for.

The signs you are being snagged by a watch list include the repeated inability to print out a boarding pass at home or through a kiosk being pulled aside repeatedly for extra questioning and scrutiny of your luggage not being able to open a bank account or get a mortgage, despite fine credit.

If you only occasionally get an SSSS on your boarding pass, you likely aren’t on a watch list — you’ve just been elected for random screening, or for buying a one-way ticket.

Once you think you are either on, or the collateral damage of, a watch list, you need to figure out which one got you.

More articles

Popular Articles