By Xinhua
Washington : More than 15,000 people have appealed to the US government since February to have their names taken off the terror-watch list that delays their travel at the US airports and border crossings, The USA Today reported Wednesday.
The complaints have created such a backlog that members of the Congress are calling for a speedier appeal system that would help innocent people clear their names, according to the report.
Those who have been flagged at checkpoints included toddlers and senior citizens with the same names as suspected terrorists on the watch list, which contains more than 750,000 names.
“To leave individuals in this purgatory is un-American,” said Rep. Yvette Clarke, and added that she would introduce a legislation to try and streamline the process.
The Homeland Security Department said it gets about 2,000 requests a month from people who want to have their names cleared.
That number is so high that the department has been unable to meet its goal of resolving all the cases in 30 days.
In February, the US government launched the Traveller Redress Inquiry Program, a one-stop shop for people to appeal links to the watch list, which flags anyone with potential ties to terrorism.