The UK and the US, although separated by the Atlantic Ocean, have similar border practices to ensure safety that rely heavily on racial profiling. The context in which these border security practices were made most visible are the same for both countries: the “war on terror” started by the US and its allies, consequently the United Kingdom, in the wake of the September 11th 2001 attacks (Basham and Vaughan-Williams 2013). Moreover, the practices adopted by the two countries are derived by growing technology that exists to identify suspicious activity and generate lists of high-risk citizens. An example of this is US’s “terror watch list” that identifies passengers who are considered threats and are prevented from entering the country ((Basham and Vaughan-Williams 2013). However, the question lies in how border patrols identify who is considered high-risk and who
The UK and the US, although separated by the Atlantic Ocean, have similar border practices to ensure safety that rely heavily on racial profiling. The context in which these border security practices were made most visible are the same for both countries: the “war on terror” started by the US and its allies, consequently the United Kingdom, in the wake of the September 11th 2001 attacks (Basham and Vaughan-Williams 2013). Moreover, the practices adopted by the two countries are derived by growing technology that exists to identify suspicious activity and generate lists of high-risk citizens. An example of this is US’s “terror watch list” that identifies passengers who are considered threats and are prevented from entering the country ((Basham and Vaughan-Williams 2013). However, the question lies in how border patrols identify who is considered high-risk and who