Expansive terror watchlist for travelers ineffective, undercutting security, Senate report warns  

The government’s terrorist watchlist created to screen travelers after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks has expanded to an unmanageable number, creating an ineffective tool that risks national security, a Senate report warned Tuesday.

The stark assessment from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is the latest of several recent watchdog reports cautioning that the government’s anti-terrorism efforts have trounced civil liberties while becoming bureaucratic and duplicative.

The committee said the watchlist has grown from about 100,000 people at its inception to nearly 2 million today.

“A watchlist that is not properly maintained, coupled with unnecessarily duplicative screening practices that are not frequently assessed for their effectiveness is a risk to our national security,” the 43-page report said. It may not reflect the latest threats, it could overextend limited security resources that should be focused on the best ways to protect Americans, and it breaks the trust with innocent Americans who get caught up in this net with no way out. 

"As the size of the watchlist and screening enterprise grows, so does the chance of misidentification, the need for additional resources, and the risk that existing limited resources may be spent on low risks, overlooking real threats," it added. 

The committee urged the Biden administration to begin an immediate review of the watchlist and create a program to address Americans who are wrongly listed in it.

You can read the full report here.