June 5, 2019 (Washington, D.C.) – Yesterday, the Sikh Coalition testified in front of the United States House Homeland Security Committee regarding the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) ongoing policies and procedures that further enable insidious and discriminatory profiling of Sikh passengers at American airports.
Sikh Coalition Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy Sim J. Singh detailed the challenges that Sikh passengers continue to face, including religious rights violations and discriminatory secondary searches, while offering legislative, technological and oversight-related recommendations that would further prevent the profiling of Sikh passengers.
To watch the Sikh Coalition’s opening statement, click here.
To read the Sikh Coalition’s written testimony, click here.
To see pictures of the Sikh Coalition testifying, click here.
“The Department of Homeland Security and the TSA must ensure the freedom of movement for ALL people, regardless of their race, sex, gender identity, national origin, religion and disability,” Mr. Singh said to Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee. “The message at airports across the country to millions of passengers watching? Sikhs are outsiders that somehow pose threats worthy of investigating – regardless of how pretextual that investigation is.”
For nearly 18 years, the Sikh Coalition has led efforts to combat and prevent the profiling of Sikh passengers at U.S. airports. In 2012, this included the launch of the Sikh Coalition’s FlyRights smartphone application, which continues to be used by Sikh passengers to report cases of profiling. The Sikh Coalition has conducted Sikh awareness trainings for TSA officials and also continues to provide free and confidential legal resources to individual Sikh passengers that experience profiling.
Before you travel, the Sikh Coalition urges you to download our free resources, including the TSA: Know Your Rights Guide and the FlyRights app. This way, if you encounter any problems, you can immediately report them through the app. Your reports are critical to help TSA and Congress improve the traveling experience for Sikhs and others.
As always, the Sikh Coalition urges you to practice your faith fearlessly.