Elhady v. Piehota
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiffs are twenty-five United States citizens who claim they are included in the Government's Terrorism Screening Database, referred to colloquially as the Government's terrorist watch list (the "TSDB" or "Watch List"). They allege this status subjects them to additional screening when traveling by air or entering the country at a land border or port, and can impact other rights, such as the ability to buy a gun, to work in certain parts of an airport, or to obtain the necessary license to transport hazardous materials. In this action, Plaintiffs challenge their alleged inclusion in the TSDB on the grounds that it violates (1) procedural due process (Count I), (2) substantive due process (Count II), (3) the Administrative Procedure Act (Count III), (4) the Equal Protection Clause (Count IV), and (5) the non-delegation doctrine (Count V). Pending before the Court is Defendants' Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint [Doc. No. 28] (the "Motion"). Defendants contend that Plaintiffs' claims are not justiciable, and to the extent they are, Plaintiffs have failed to plead facts that make any of their claims plausible. For the reasons below, the Motion will be GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.
I. BACKGROUND
Briefly summarized, Plaintiffs allege the following facts in their Amended Complaint, which, together with all reasonable inferences, are taken as true for the purposes of the Motion:
In September 2003, the Attorney General, pursuant to a presidential directive, established the Terrorism Screening Center (the "TSC") as a multi-agency center for coordinating information pertaining to terrorist activity. Am. Compl. (ECF No. 22), ¶ 51. The TSC, which is administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (the *458"FBI"), manages the Goverment's consolidated Terrorism Screening Database, sometimes referred to as the Government's terrorist watch list (the "TSDB" or "Watch List"). Id. The TSC determines whether to place individuals in the TSDB based on "nominations" received from the National Counterterrorism Center (the "NCTC") and the FBI. Two subsets of the TSDB are known as the Selectee List and the No Fly List. Id. ¶ 52. Individuals on the No Fly List are prohibited from boarding commercial flights, whereas individuals on the Selectee List are required to undergo enhanced screening before doing so. Id.
Plaintiffs are twenty-five United States citizens who are included in the TSDB.
Plaintiffs, in general, are routinely subjected to additional screening when they fly on a commercial airplane and when they enter the country at a land border or port, although the frequency and invasiveness of that secondary screening varies. For example, Plaintiff Anas Elhady ("Elhady") is subject to secondary inspection "every time" he flies. Id. ¶ 142. Elhady also "is routinely referred to secondary inspection, handcuffed and detained by CBP at land border crossings when he attempts to re-enter the United States from Canada," which can last "approximately four to twelve hours." Id. ¶ 159. Plaintiff Ahmad Al Halabi ("Halabi") is subject to secondary screening "every time" he flies; "is frequently unable to board his flights until he is 'cleared' by DHS," which "oftentimes takes hours"; and has missed flights due to "prolonged searches and interrogations." Id. ¶¶ 219-221. Halabi was also handcuffed by CBP officers when reentering the United States in 2014 through a land border following vacation in Canada and detained in a holding cell for approximately two to *459three hours, and in a waiting area for another three to four hours, during which time the officers confiscated cell phone. Id. ¶¶ 222-23. Because of this treatment, "Halabi no longer travels by air nor does he travel to Canada by land unless absolutely necessary for business purposes." Id. ¶ 225. In April 2014, Plaintiff Wael Hakmeh ("Hakmeh") "was referred to secondary screening and subjected to a prolonged interrogation" after his flight home from a business trip to Turkey. Id. ¶¶ 250-51. Since then, Hakmeh sometimes, but not always, has been subjected to secondary screening when he flies. Id. ¶¶ 254-59. In August 2016, a TSA agent removed Plaintiff Hassan Fares ("Fares") from the plane after boarding for his flight and required him to go through security again, even though he had already gone through security, during which time he was "subjected to extensive searches and pat downs." Id. ¶¶ 454-56. These actions caused Fares to miss his flight. Id. ¶ 457. Plaintiff Zuhair El-Shwehdi ("El-Shwehdi") has been subjected to secondary screening every time he flies since 2011 and "is frequently unable to board his flights until he is 'cleared' by DHS," which "can take hours." Id. ¶¶ 464-65. "Frequently, upon returning from a flight," El-Shwehdi "is escorted from the gate or, on at least two occasions off of the plane from his seat, by FBI and/or TSA agents, before he is detained and subjected to prolonged questioning and searches of his person and belongings," which has caused him to miss connecting flights. Id. ¶¶ 466-69.
Based on their experiences, most of the Plaintiffs have submitted an inquiry with the Department of Homeland Security's Traveler Redress Inquiry Program ("DHS TRIP"), which is administered by the TSA. See, e.g., id. ¶¶ 226, 239, 305. Under DHS TRIP, travelers who have been referred for additional screening or delayed or denied airline boarding for any reason, including because he or she believes she was erroneously placed on the Watch List, can inform TSA and request that it review the situation. See
In addition to enhanced screening, Plaintiffs have also experienced a number of other consequences, which they have reason to believe are attributable to their inclusion on the Watch List. For example, Western Union does not allow Plaintiff Yaseen Kadura to conduct wire transfers, *460which, on information and belief, is because the TSC informed Western Union that he was on the Watch List.
Plaintiffs also allege that inclusion in the Watch List impacts a number of other legal rights. For example, they note that under New Jersey law, individuals on the Watch List are prohibited from buying a gun, and other states are considering similar measures.
Furthermore, based on Plaintiffs' personal experiences, the publicly available legal consequences of being on the Watch List, government and other publications, and the public statements of goverment officials, Plaintiffs believe their Watch List status is distributed beyond just Defendants' agencies and airlines, including to other government agencies, state and local law enforcement, foreign governments, gun sellers, car dealers, financial institutions, and courts. See, e.g.,
II. LEGAL STANDARD
A Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss tests the legal sufficiency of the complaint. See Randall v. United States ,
*461Republican Party of N.C. v. Martin ,
Moreover, "the complaint is to be liberally construed in favor of plaintiff."
The party invoking the court's jurisdiction typically bears the burden of proving the existence of federal subject matter jurisdiction. See Ellenburg v. Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. ,
III. ANALYSIS
A. Justiciability
1. Lack of Jurisdiction
Defendants contend that the Court lacks jurisdiction over Plaintiffs' claims to the extent that Plaintiffs challenge the adequacy of the DHS TRIP process, which Defendants contend amounts to a TSA order that the courts of appeals have exclusive authority to review under
2. Standing
Defendants next contend that Plaintiffs have not adequately established their standing to bring these claims. In particular, Defendants argue that Plaintiffs have not adequately pleaded a real and immediate threat of injury because the facts alleged in the Amended Complaint do not contain sufficient detail from which to infer Plaintiffs' present status on the Watch List and the consequences flowing therefrom (e.g., additional screening when flying or reentering the country).
To establish standing, a plaintiff must set forth specific facts to demonstrate that (1) he has "suffered an 'injury in fact' ... which is (a) concrete and particularized, and (b) 'actual or imminent, not conjectural or hypothetical"; (2) there exists "a causal connection between the injury and the conduct complained of"; and (3) "it must be 'likely,' as opposed to merely 'speculative,' that the injury will be 'redressed by a favorable decision.' " Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife ,
B. Count 1: Plaintiffs' Procedural Due Process Claim
The Due Process Clause guarantees that "[n]o person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." U.S. Const. amend. V. "The procedural component of due process imposes constraints on governmental decisions which deprive individuals of 'liberty' or 'property' interests within the meaning of the Due Process Clause." D.B. v. Cardall ,
1. Government Deprivation of a Cognizable Liberty Interest
Plaintiffs contend that their inclusion on the Watch List deprives them of the following interests protected by procedural due process: (1) the right of movement, and (2) liberty interests under the stigma-plus test.
a. Movement-Related Liberty Interest
While it is undisputed that procedural due process is applicable to certain liberty interests created by statute, there is no clear test to determine those procedurally protected liberty interests that derive implicitly from the Due Process Clause itself. See Kerry v. Din , --- U.S. ----,
The Court need not decide at this stage precisely which test determines whether the travel-related liberty interest asserted here is entitled to procedural protection. No matter which judicially recognized test is used, Plaintiffs have adequately alleged a procedurally protected liberty interest. In that regard, Plaintiffs allege that their placement on the Watch List or the Selectee List subjects them to invasive additional screening and other liberty-constraining activities when they fly or reenter the country at a land border or port. Based on their personal experiences, Plaintiffs further allege that this additional screening can entail their being detained for hours while they are searched and questioned, and that such screening has caused them to avoid travel.
Taking these allegations as true, Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged at this stage that their inclusion in the Watch List or Selectee List caused them to suffer a deprivation of a liberty interest as that term is historically understood. The invasion of that liberty interest is no less tangible or unanchored in historical recognition than other interests previously found to deserve procedural protections. See, e.g., Din ,
b. Stigma-Plus Reputational Interest
Procedural due process protections also extend to certain reputational injuries under the so-called "stigma-plus" test. To state a cognizable procedural due process claim under that test, "a plaintiff must demonstrate that his reputational injury was accompanied by a state action that 'distinctly altered or extinguished' his legal status." Shirvinski ,
The Fourth Circuit has recognized in at least one case a 'constitutional harm' based on the inclusion of defamatory information in a non-public government file if there is a 'likelihood' of dissemination to the public. Sciolino v. City of Newport News ,480 F.3d 642 , 650 (4th Cir. 2007) ; but see Bishop v. Wood ,426 U.S. 341 , 384,96 S.Ct. 2074 ,48 L.Ed.2d 684 (1976) (the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is not implicated 'when there is no public disclosure' of the allegedly defamatory information and the defendant has no otherwise legally recognized interest at stake)."
Mohamed v. Holder , No. 1:11-cv-50,
Here, Plaintiffs allege, based on their personal experiences and government and other public reports, that their status in the TSDB has been disseminated to third parties outside the relevant federal agencies and airlines, including state and local authorities, courts, foreign governments, gun sellers, banks, and car dealers. Plaintiffs' factual allegations plausibly allege that the dissemination of the Watch List may be so widespread that it is tantamount to public disclosure, even if only distributed to other government and private entities that need the information for official objectives. Accordingly, Plaintiffs have alleged facts that plausibly establish the stigma prong. Plaintiffs also plausibly allege that inclusion on the Watch List causes or substantially contributes to a number of tangible consequences to their legal rights or status, including, inter alia , foreclosing their ability to buy certain guns in certain states, to obtain the necessary license to transport hazardous materials, and to obtain certain jobs at an airport. Plaintiffs have therefore adequately alleged a cognizable, protectable interest under the stigma-plus test.
2. The Process Due
The "central meaning of procedural due process" is that "[p]arties whose rights are to be affected are entitled to be heard; and in order that they may enjoy that right they must first be notified." Fuentes v. Shevin ,
Plaintiffs' allegations plausibly allege a claim for a procedural due process violation. The Government's "trust us" approach is inconsistent with the fundamental procedural protections applicable to the deprivation of a protected liberty interest, including the right to be heard. Nevertheless, the ultimate merits of that claim are tethered to the Mathews factors, which are "fact-intensive consideration[s]," which "when considered within the context of [these] allegations, necessarily require an evidentiary record beyond that presented to the Court in connection with the defendants'
*466motion to dismiss." Mohamed v. Holder ,
C. Count 2: Plaintiffs' Substantive Due Process Claim
Unlike procedural due process, substantive due process "protects individual liberty against 'certain government actions regardless of the fairness of the procedures used to implement them.' " Collins v. City of Harker Heights ,
For an asserted right to be deemed fundamental for the purposes of substantive due process, it must be "objectively, deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition, and implicit in the concept of ordered liberty, such that neither liberty nor justice would exist if they were sacrificed." Glucksberg ,
While Plaintiffs also contend here that their substantive due process claim must be assessed based on the general "right of movement," the analysis again calls for a more precise articulation of the right at issue. Here, Plaintiffs claim that as United States citizens who have never been convicted of a crime and are not under indictment or subject to arrest for any identifiable conduct, they have the right, anchored in the right to travel, and protected under substantive due process, to board a commercial airline and enter the country free of predetermined additional screening. But however one characterizes the right at issue, the impact of enhanced screening upon that right does not make the government's action impermissible no matter how rigorous the procedural protections for determining who is subjected to such screening. For these reasons, and those previously stated in Mohamed v. Holder ,
D. Count 3: Plaintiffs' Administrative Procedure Act Claim
Plaintiffs claim that Defendants violated the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"),
E. Count 4: Plaintiffs' Equal Protection Claim
The Equal Protection Clause prohibits the government from "deny[ing] to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1. "In order to survive a motion to dismiss an equal protection claim, a plaintiff must plead sufficient facts to demonstrate plausibly that he was treated differently from others who were similarly situated and that the unequal treatment was the result of discriminatory animus." Equity In Athletics, Inc. v. Dep't of Educ. ,
The publicly disclosed criteria used in connection with the Watch List are facially neutral. See Mohamed II ,
F. Count 5: Plaintiffs' Non-Delegation Claim
Plaintiffs finally contend that Congress violated the non-delegation doctrine and that TSA and TSC exceeded their authority by creating the Watch List. But Congress explicitly directed TSA, "in consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies and air carriers, establish policies and procedures requiring air carriers ... to identify individuals on passenger lists who may be a threat to civil aviation or national security," and "take ... appropriate action with respect to that individual."
IV. CONCLUSION
For these reasons, the Court concludes that Plaintiffs' claims are justiciable, and that Plaintiffs have pleaded facts that make plausible their claims that Defendants violated their procedural clue process rights (Count I) and the APA (Count III), but have not sufficiently alleged that Defendants violated their substantive due process rights (Count II), the Equal Protection Clause (Count IV), or the non-delegation doctrine (Count V). Accordingly, it is hereby
ORDERED that Defendants' Motion to Dismiss the Amended Complaint [Doc. No. 28) be, and the same hereby is, GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART; it is GRANTED as to Plaintiffs claims for a violation of substantive due process (Count III), the Equal Protection Clause (Count IV), and the non-delegation doctrine (Count V), and these claims are hereby DISMISSED; and it is otherwise DENIED.
Certain of these facts, particularly some of the statutory and regulatory background, are supplemented, where appropriate, with matters of public record. Further background on statutory and regulatory framework is also found in the Mohamed opinions cited herein.
Although the Amended Complaint contains claims and allegations based on the No Fly List, Plaintiffs do not currently contend that any Plaintiff is on the No Fly List. Plaintiff Mark Amri alleges that he was on the No Fly List in January 2016 but that following his request for a review of his status, he received a letter from DHS in September 2016 stating, "the U.S. Government knows of no reason, related to your inquiry, that you should be unable to fly." Am. Compl. ¶¶ 366-76. Plaintiffs also notified the Court on January 12, 2017, that the other three Plaintiffs alleged to be included on the No Fly List, Ausama Elhuzayel, Donald Thomas, and John Doe No. 4, have received similar letters since Plaintiffs filed the Amended Complaint. See Notice of Recent Factual Developments Pertaining to Plaintiffs Ausama Elhuzeyel, Donald Thomas, and John Doe No. 4 (ECF No. 43). All four of these Plaintiffs have also been able to fly subsequently.
Plaintiffs' allegations include references to both the Watch List and the Selectee List and do not precisely allege that each Plaintiff is on the Selectee List, although all Plaintiffs allege that they are on the Watch List and have had similar experiences when traveling. Given Plaintiffs' limited access to information concerning the Watch List and the Selectee List, and the Court's obligation to construe the Plaintiffs' allegations in a light most favorable to them, the Court will assume for the purposes of this Motion that all Plaintiffs are alleging the same constitutional deprivations as a result of being included in the TSDB.
The Court also finds that Plaintiffs have alleged facts that make their claims against the CBP plausible at this stage. Plaintiffs allege that the CBP enforces and implements the challenged actions of the other Defendants, including the detention of persons on the Watch List for additional screening when they reenter the country at a land border or port. and accordingly that the CBP has engaged in the actions that Plaintiffs challenge as illegal. Thus, it is plausible that the CBP may need to be included in any remedial orders.
The Amended Complaint also asserts that Plaintiffs have "a liberty interest in nonattainder (ie: the interest against being singled out for punishment without trial)." Am. Compl. ¶ 565. But Plaintiffs have abandoned nonattainder as a liberty interest on which to base their procedural due process claim.
The controlling concurrence in Din did not address this question but rather assumed a procedurally protected liberty interest in finding that the procedures at issues were constitutionally adequate. See
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Anas ELHADY v. Christopher M. PIEHOTA
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published