When Michael Winston Hicks ended up on a terror watch list as a toddler, his parents first thought the mistake was funny. Now they're finding out how difficult it is to get their 8-year-old son's name off the list.
Security has been stepped up at America's airports. Among the potential terrorists Homeland Security is watching for is a suspect named Michael Winston Hicks. He's eight years old and he's on a Homeland Security watch list. INSIDE EDITION asked Hicks what happened.
"They said I could be a terrorist," said Mikey.
When asked how it made him feel, Mikey replied, "Weird."
Mikey, from Clifton, New Jersey is in the cub scouts, not Al Qaeda. And the only threat he poses is as a junior black belt in Taekwondo. But whenever Mikey's family goes on vacation, he is singled out for special attention by Homeland Security.
Mikey exclaimed, "They wanted to pat me down. They wanted my dad to get undressed."
When asked where security pats him down, Mikey replied, "In certain spots where you don't want to get patted."
INSIDE EDITION asked if it makes him uncomfortable.
Mikey replied, "Kind of, yeah."
Mikey Hicks's first pat down took place here at Newark Liberty International Airport when he was just two years old. His parents told us when the airport screener started frisking the toddler he became so terrified he burst into tears. Mikey's family doesn't know how he got on the list, but they're so used to the hassle they leave two extra hours for security checks whenever they travel.
Mikey's mom said, "They can't guarantee that he'll ever get off the list. It's cute when he's two. It's annoying when he's four. It's scary when he's eight. What happens when he's 18?"
