12 air crew members banned from U.S.
Names appeared in antiterrorist database
From Jeanne Meserve
CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Twelve members of foreign air crews will be barred from entering the United States after their names showed up in counterterrorism databases, a top Homeland Security official said Tuesday.
Nine of the 12 had associated with terrorists or supported terrorist organizations, two were using fraudulent passports and one had a criminal record for assaulting a U.S. law enforcement officer, according to Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Asa Hutchinson.
Hutchinson said the 12 were from three different countries, but he would not specify their nationalities or the airlines or cargo companies for which they flew. The names have been shared with the airlines involved.
Hutchinson said a similar check of 2.7 million truck drivers who were licensed to carry hazardous materials in the United States has not turned up anyone with clearly established ties to terrorism, but he said 29 "potential persons of interest" are undergoing additional checks by law enforcement.
One of the 29 has already been expelled from the U.S. for unrelated reasons.
No comprehensive database check is done of hazardous materials drivers when they are licensed, but Hutchinson said the recently completed check against terrorism databases should give the public "more confidence in these drivers."
Hutchinson said hazardous materials drivers will soon soon go through additional checks involving their criminal records and fingerprints, although at the moment it is unclear what criminal activities would disqualify them from driving.
Hutchinson conceded that many other people in the transportation sector are not undergoing any sort of government screening, including bus drivers and cruise ship crews.