The full travel advisory is available here.

Washington, D.C. – As one of the busiest travel periods in the nation approaches, Muslim Advocates  is issuing a year-end  travel advisory to inform travelers of their rights  regarding religious and racial profiling. With the spike in airport profiling since President Trump’s  first Muslim ban was issued in January, Muslim Advocates is urging all travelers to know their rights and to report profiling.  

As the advisory notes, “It is unlawful for law enforcement officers to question, search, or detain you on the basis of your race, national origin, sex, or political beliefs – regardless of your immigration status.” Many travelers may not be aware of their rights and/or feel too intimidated to assert them. The fact sheet provides possible scenarios, including unlawful vs. lawful questioning at the border as well as how to assess and respond to situations regarding religious clothing. You can report any treatment at the border that you believe is discriminatory using our border search reporting form here.

According to Juvaria Khan, staff attorney for Muslim Advocates, “This is a very busy travel time and Muslims and people who could be perceived as Muslim should be prepared to know their rights when traveling. While we fight the Muslim ban in the courts, we’re also combating racial profiling, discrimination, and bigotry in the airports. Traveling while Muslim should not be grounds for discrimination and poor treatment, and we want to make sure that holiday travelers are not targeted. American Muslims should never be afraid to travel, but they should be prepared for, and know how to report, profiling.”

Resources:

• Travel advisory
• Know your rights fact sheet
• Reporting form

Muslim Advocates is a national legal advocacy and educational organization that works on the frontlines of civil rights to guarantee freedom and justice for Americans of all faiths.

 

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