Under legal pressure, the Obama administration will begin telling some suspected terrorists if and why they are on a list of tens of thousands of people banned from flying to, from or within the United States. The explanations provided to six travelers so far, which were mandated by a federal judge, have been inadequate, the ACLU said.
The changes partially lift a veil of secrecy enshrouding a policy that has been a centerpiece of the government’s counterterrorism efforts since the September 2001 terror attacks. But the American Civil Liberties Union, which has been challenging the constitutionality of the no-fly list in an ongoing federal lawsuit, said the changes don’t go far enough in giving travelers the legal due process they are entitled to, including seeing the evidence held against them and getting an opportunity to challenge it.
