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Step 1: Should I Use DHS TRIP?

When Should You Use DHS TRIP?

DHS TRIP can help travelers work to resolve travel-related issues, when

  • You feel that you were discriminated against by an officer of the Federal government OR an officer of the Department of Homeland Security based on race, disability, religion, gender, ethnicity or national origin
  • You believe the U.S. Government’s record of your personal information is inaccurate or has been misused
  • You  believe you were unfairly detained during your travel experience or unfairly denied entry into the United States
  • You were not able to print a boarding pass from an airline ticketing kiosk or from the Internet as a result of some type action taken by Homeland Security
  • You were denied or delayed boarding
  • A ticket agent “called someone” before handing you a boarding pass
  • You were told
    • your fingerprints were incorrect or of poor quality.
    • your photo did not match the travel document
    • your personal information was incomplete or inaccurate
    • you are on the “No Fly List”
  • You want to
    • Amend a traveler record because of an overstay as a result of not submitting the required I-94 when exiting the U.S
    • Ensure your biometric record created in US-VISIT is removed from DHS systems.

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When DHS TRIP Does Not Apply

DHS TRIP is not designed to address travel issue related to mishandled bags or poor customer service. See links for travelers for resources to help you address other travel issues.  

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More About Screening and Watch Lists

What is the terrorist watch list?
 After 9/11, the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) was created through a Presidential Directive to be administered by the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with the departments of Homeland Security, Defense, State and Treasury, and the Central Intelligence Agency.  International criminal information that originates with foreign governments, especially lost and stolen passports, is provided by INTERPOL.

The purpose of the Terrorist Screening Center is to consolidate terrorism based watch lists into a central database and make that data available for use in screening.  Intelligence and law enforcement agencies nominate individuals to be put on the watch list based on established criteria.

Two subset lists are the “No Fly” list and “Selectee” list. 

  • The “No Fly” list includes individuals who are prohibited from boarding an aircraft.  You are NOT on the No Fly list if you receive a boarding pass.
  • The “Selectee” list includes individuals who must undergo additional security screening before being permitted to board an aircraft.

How do I know if I am on a Government Watch List?
 The U.S. government does not reveal whether a particular person is on the terrorist watch list, which is administered by the Terrorist Screening Center.  If the government revealed who was on the terrorist watch list, terrorist organizations would be able to circumvent its purpose by determining in advance which of their members are likely to be questioned or detained.  More information on the Terrorist Screening Center.

Many people are erroneously told or led to believe that they are on a watch list during a screening process, when in fact they are merely experiencing a delay caused by a name similarity to a person who is on the watch list.  DHS TRIP can help resolve these inconveniences. Go To Step 2

What factors are used to determine if someone is selected for secondary screening?
 Many factors are considered, specifics of which cannot be provided without revealing information vital to our homeland security.

If you have been sent for secondary screening without any apparent cause and if this happened on more than one occasion, you can use DHS TRIP to correct any discrepancies that may have occurred in our records and to resolve misidentification issues.  Go To Step 2.

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Foreign Students and Exchange Visitors

Foreign students and exchange visitors are strongly encouraged to contact your school official or program sponsor.  They will be able to assist if the difficulty you have experienced is related to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System or SEVIS.

Issues unrelated to SEVIS may be addressed using DHS TRIP.

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» Go to STEP 2: How To Use DHS Trip

 

This page was last reviewed/modified on March 18, 2008.