Latest news with #QuietSkiesProgram
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Lawyer says she's no terrorist as DHS accuses Sen. Shaheen's husband
DHS accused Shaheen's lawyer husband, William "Billy" Shaheen, of having traveled with a "known or suspected terrorist" -- and said the senator had used her influence to have him removed from a TSA watchlist. Shaheen denied getting her husband removed from a watch list, as Atallah, a close family friend blasted DHS for trying to "score political points by smearing innocent people." "Let me be crystal clear: I am a U.S. citizen, a licensed attorney, a law-abiding American, and Billy Shaheen's legal co-counsel," Atallah told Seacoastonline, part of the USA TODAY Network, adding she had been pulled out of airport lines more than 40 times for invasive searches. Atallah came forward after DHS said Shaheen's husband had been accompanied on flights by a suspected terrorist. "New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen's Husband Traveled with a Known or Suspected Terrorist Three Times in a Single Year," a June 4 DHS4 press release alleged. "I am the individual DHS referred to in its recent public release, the so-called 'known or suspected terrorist' who traveled with Attorney William 'Billy' Shaheen," Atallah said in a statement. "I have no criminal record and have dedicated my career to fighting for immigrants' rights here at home, and to representing, pro bono, Americans who were wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, out of a deep belief in justice and service," Atallah said. "In fact, I also worked closely with the Trump administration during its first term to help bring unlawfully detained U.S. citizens home." The DHS press release cites specific flights in which Bill Shaheen was a "Co-Traveler with a Known or Suspected Terrorist." Atallah said she was on those flights. Kristi Noem says Biden 'weaponized' watchlist DHS asserts that the TSA watch list program, "Silent Partners Quiet Skies," was politicized by the Biden administration, leading to the harassment of political opponents like Tulsi Gabbard, the former congresswoman and President Donald Trump's current director of National Intelligence - while letting political allies like the Shaheens off the hook. The Biden administration "weaponized" the program "against its political foes and to benefit their well-heeled friends," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in the press release. DHS announced June 5 it was ending the Quiet Skies Program, saying it had "failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year." Atallah doesn't disagree the Quiet Skies program was broken. "I had no idea I was ever on a TSA Quiet Skies watchlist until I read DHS's public statement," Atallah wrote. "I knew I was being subjected to humiliating searches -- frisked, pulled aside, questioned -- more than 40 times, and NOT ONCE did they find anything illegal, inappropriate or incriminating on me." Atallah said she asked Sen. Shaheen's office for help, "not to intervene but simply to understand why this was happening to me and who was behind it." "I have done nothing wrong and I am not worried - they can find anything on me if they try," she said. The Department of Homeland Security declined to say why Atallah was flagged as a possible terrorist. "We are confident in our law enforcement's intelligence, and we aren't going to share intelligence reports and undermine national security," DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, noting Atallah "chose to reveal herself of her own volition." Atallah filed a Freedom of Information Act request over the airport searches. In June 2023, DHS told Atallah it could "neither confirm nor deny any information about you which may be contained within federal watchlists or reveal any law enforcement sensitive information." DHS suggested, but didn't confirm, it may have made " may assist in avoiding incidents of misidentification." As a well-known immigration lawyer, Atallah said she has been working to arrange the return of Palestinian-Americans trapped in Gaza. "I have already helped individuals and families, including a prominent Massachusetts family," she said. "I have helped them get home; that's what I do and I am very passionate about it." Choir girl turned lawyer Atallah said she has known Jeanne and Bill Shaheen since she was 16, "when I was a choir girl at St. George Church in Dover, New Hampshire, a church that Billy's mother helped build." "It is both baffling and disgraceful to see this administration suggest that Bill Shaheen was 'traveling with a terrorist,'" Atallah wrote, "when, in fact, he was traveling with me: a fellow attorney and American citizen. This isn't just false, it's a deliberate and dangerous distortion, designed to score political points by smearing innocent people." Sen. Shaheen recently announced she will not seek re-election in 2026. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., is the Democratic frontrunner for her seat, and the Shaheens' daughter, Stefany Shaheen, of Portsmouth, recently announced her bid for Pappas' seat. "The whole situation is ludicrous," said Bill Shaheen. "I did not know I was on a list, or why I was on a list but I guess I know now. The first time I was searched, I was told it was 'random' when I asked why. After a few times, you get suspicious, and they will not tell you why you are on the list. That's un-American." Shaheen said the searches are invasive. "They take your belt; they feel up your crotch," he said. "They don't even bother to ask you on a date. Then they 'walk' you to the gate." Shaheen said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, his wife, never asked anyone to take him off any list. He only wanted to know why he was being searched and who was responsible. "If you are going to take away someone's rights, you better be ready to justify it, better be able to prove the facts," he said. Bill Shaheen said he has known Atallah since she was a little girl. "She has a very big heart and she wants to help people, wherever she can," he said. "She said, as a girl, she wanted to be a lawyer. I offered guidance to help her along the way. I cannot and will not ever believe she is a terrorist." 'Invasive and degrading' Shaheen's office said she contacted TSA "after her husband was subjected to several extensive, invasive and degrading searches at airport checkpoints." "Any suggestion that the Senator's husband was supposedly included on a Quiet Skies list is news to her and had never been raised before yesterday," the office said in a statement. "Nor was she aware of any action taken following her call to remove him from such a list." The senator's office noted Bill Shaheen had been stopped and searched at least five times, despite the fact that he is a former judge who also served as U.S. attorney for New Hampshire. Bill Shaheen is a respected Lebanese-American attorney, the senator's office said, who is active in the Arab-American community. What was TSA's Quiet Skies program? The Transportation Security Administration, which federalized airport security after the terrorist hijackings Sept. 11, 2001, created the "Quiet Skies" program in 2010 to provide additional screening for suspicious travelers. TSA has said individuals identified for additional screening aren't necessarily "known or suspected terrorists." Travelers are chosen for the list are based on aggregated travel data, intelligence and suspicious activity. TSA doesn't release how many people are on the list for security reasons. But press reports said 1.2 million people, including 4,600 U.S. citizens, were on the Terrorist Screening Database in 2017. Civil liberties groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have filed lawsuits on behalf of people who disputed their inclusion on the "Quiet Skies" list. But TSA officials have defended the program as "very effective" at providing security and protecting the privacy of travelers. Atallah said she chose to speak out to clear her name and the names of the Shaheens. "They used my story not to bring about accountability or reform, but to wage a partisan smear campaign," she said. "They twisted facts, spread falsehoods, and used the official platform of DHS to paint me, a U.S. citizen and attorney, as a 'terrorist' for political gain." Contributing: Bart Jansen, Josh Meyer - USA TODAY
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Noem ending TSA Quiet Skies traveler surveillance program
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday she is ending the Transportation Safety Administration's (TSA) 'Quiet Skies Program,' saying it is costly, ineffective and used to target political opponents. In a press release, DHS said 'since its existence,' the traveler surveillance program 'has failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year,' adding, 'The program, under the guise of 'national security,' was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies.' The press release said an internal investigation conducted by DHS and TSA uncovered documents, correspondence and timelines that demonstrate the 'inconsistent application of Quiet Skies and watchlisting programs' to benefit political allies. Noem did not make public evidence from the internal investigation but called on Congress to investigate the matter further. 'It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration—weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends,' Noem said in a statement. 'I am calling for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security,' she added. Noem also said eliminating the program would not compromise air safety. 'TSA's critical aviation and security vetting functions will be maintained, and the Trump Administration will return TSA to its true mission of being laser-focused on the safety and security of the traveling public. This includes restoring the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans,' she added. The once-secret program launched with the goal of monitoring potential security threats by 'unknown or partially known terrorists.' Through the program, undercover federal air marshals would observe passengers' behavior. This can include watching how close they stand to the boarding area, how often they use the bathroom and any behavioral tics such as sweating or twitching. The program has faced scrutiny from Democrats and Republicans alike in recent years, with many expressing concerns about potential civil liberty violations. The issue came into even sharper focus last year, when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman, said publicly that she was placed on a 'secret terror watch list' and suspected it was politically motivated. Earlier this week, a DHS official confirmed to CBS News that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's (D-N.H.) husband was placed on the watchlist in 2023 and removed after the senator spoke with the former TSA director. The senator's spokesperson told CBS News that she was not aware her husband had been monitored under the program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Noem ending TSA Quiet Skies traveler surveillance program
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday she is ending the Transportation Safety Administration's (TSA) 'Quiet Skies Program,' saying it is costly, ineffective and used to target political opponents. In a press release, DHS said 'since its existence,' the traveler surveillance program 'has failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year,' adding, 'The program, under the guise of 'national security,' was used to target political opponents and benefit political allies.' The press release said an internal investigation conducted by DHS and TSA uncovered documents, correspondence and timelines that demonstrate the 'inconsistent application of Quiet Skies and watchlisting programs' to benefit political allies. Noem did not make public evidence from the internal investigation but called on Congress to investigate the matter further. 'It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration—weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends,' Noem said in a statement. 'I am calling for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security,' she added. Noem also said eliminating the program would not compromise air safety. 'TSA's critical aviation and security vetting functions will be maintained, and the Trump Administration will return TSA to its true mission of being laser-focused on the safety and security of the traveling public. This includes restoring the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans,' she added. The once-secret program launched with the goal of monitoring potential security threats by 'unknown or partially known terrorists.' Through the program, undercover federal air marshals would observe passengers' behavior. This can include watching how close they stand to the boarding area, how often they use the bathroom and any behavioral tics such as sweating or twitching. The program has faced scrutiny from Democrats and Republicans alike in recent years, with many expressing concerns about potential civil liberty violations. The issue came into even sharper focus last year, when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman, said publicly that she was placed on a 'secret terror watch list' and suspected it was politically motivated. Earlier this week, a DHS official confirmed to CBS News that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's husband was placed on the watchlist in 2023 and removed after the senator spoke with the former TSA director. The senator's spokesperson told CBS News that she was not aware her husband had been monitored under the program.
