The Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan is part of a lawsuit filed Wednesday challenging practices used to monitor passengers in U.S. airports.
The lawsuit aims to have the no-fly list, watch list, and the new 'Quiet Skies' program declared unconstitutional.
Amy Doukoure is a staff attorney with CAIR Michigan. She said the programs are both costly to taxpayers and ineffective.
"We’re trying basically to shut down all of these illegal programs that are being run by the government that target specifically Muslims, Muslim-Americans and Middle Eastern individuals," Doukoure said.
Doukoure called the Quiet Skies program's criteria for deciding who to monitor "absurd and obscure."
"It’s like how many times they’ve used the bathroom, whether they may look at a small child in a menacing fashion - which is completely subjective," she said. "Sweating can get you monitored."
The lawsuit was filed in Maryland in conjunction with other CAIR chapters and private firms on behalf of more than a dozen individuals who have been targeted by the federal programs.