The New York Times ran an excellent piece outlying the immigration consequences that face innocent immigrants who are placed on the National No Fly List. A focal point of the article is the story of Rahinah Ibrahim, who was a doctoral student at Stanford University in 2005 when her name was placed on the National No Fly List. Because of her placement on the list, she subsequently had her visa revoked and has not been able to return to the United States since 2005. Ms. Ibrahim’s only “crime” is being placed on the list (even though it is obvious that she is in no way a danger to the United States).
With the latest push to expand the No Fly List, the number of individuals stuck in immigration limbo is only likely to grow. Surely there is a better way to get innocent individuals off the No Fly List?