Ever Have Trouble Flying or Entering the United States?

Ever Have Trouble Flying or Entering the United States? Council Group on Transportation Security and Civil Liberties

At the August 2007 annual meeting, the APSA Council designated a Council Group on Transportation Security and Civil Liberties (Tony Affigne, Melissa Williams and Timothy Kaufman-Osborn) to look into issues that might arise in border crossings with those attending the 2009 APSA meeting in Toronto, Canada, and more broadly with scholarly travel in and outside the U.S. Among the issues of concern are airport “no fly” and “selectee” lists which can hinder and even prevent air travel, any special concerns of resident alien scholars, the effectiveness of the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP) as a remedy for anyone who feels their name was mistakenly added to a “no fly” list, or whether there are particular groups or parts of the country where these Homeland Security/Transportation Security Administration measures are more rigorously enforced.

We’d like to hear about your experiences. In order to get some dimension of how these issues have impacted the APSA membership, the Council Group would appreciate anyone who has encountered such difficulties in their domestic or international travel to respond by email with whatever details seem relevant (denial of a boarding pass, delays in resuming travel, etc.)

We would also appreciate the assistance of department chairs in terms of encouraging members of their departments, regardless of whether they are members of APSA or not, to respond.

The Council Group will prepare travel recommendations for all APSA members, to minimize inconvenience you may face as you travel to the 2009 Toronto meeting, or to any other professional destinations. With your assistance, our goal is to ensure that APSA members are well-prepared to deal with security practices on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border. Please e-mail your comments to:

Jeffrey Biggs - councilgroup@apsanet.org
Director, Congressional Fellowship Program
American Political Science Association
1527 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036-1206
p: 202.483.2512