Anti-maskers were placed on no fly list by Biden admin during Covid era: DHS

An internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigation has revealed that under the Biden administration, some Americans who refused to comply with COVID-19 mask mandates were placed on no-fly lists. 

According to the investigation, 19 Americans were flagged between September 30, 2021, and October 25, 2021. More than half of those individuals received no-fly designations, preventing them from boarding domestic flights. This system is typically used to identify suspected terrorists. 

At least 11 remained on watchlists until April 2022, when a federal court required the administration to end the mask mandate.

The findings, first reported by Fox News, prompted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to issue a statement criticizing the agency, stating that “Biden’s TSA wildly abused their authority.”

“Biden’s TSA Administrator [David] Pekoske and his cronies abused their authority and weaponized the federal government against the very people they were charged with protecting,” Noem said. “President Trump promised to end the weaponization of government against the American people, and we are making good on that promise.”

Noem also terminated five senior officials associated with the operation and referred information to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and members of Congress for further investigation.

On Monday, Senator Rand Paul, chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a flash report stating that at least 23 Americans were placed on TSA watchlists solely for their association with a protest group known as the Freedom to Breathe Agency.

“In April 2022, twelve individuals were placed on a TSA Watch List for simply removing their mask on an aircraft,” the report added. “This is yet another example of how programs purportedly intended to protect ordinary Americans from grave threats such as terrorism are twisted to violate the privacy and civil liberties of those same Americans.”