Saturday, September 13, 2008

Montreal Man Changing Name To Escape U.S. No-Fly List

From CBC:

A prominent Quebec music producer who couldn't get his name removed from a U.S. no-fly list is changing his last name to end the hassle.

Mario Labbé, Montreal-based president of the Analekta classical music label, has had major problems entering the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks because his name appears on a Homeland Security list.

Labbé said he has started applying for new identification with the surname "Francois," hoping he can distance himself from the watch list.

Despite an admission from the U.S. department that his current name is on the list because of an identity theft case, Labbé can't get the name removed.

The drill is the same each time he travels south of the border, he told CBC's French-language service.

"Every time I travel to the U.S. I get stopped," he said. "When they scan my passport, their screen turns red. And that's bad."

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