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While Trump swears his now-defunct Muslim travel ban wasn’t a ban on Muslims, the xenophobia is still being felt in airports across the nation. Case in point, Muhammad Ali Jr. was recently detained by customs in Florida when returning from a trip from Jamaica.
According to the Courier Journal, Muhammad Ali Jr., 44, and his mother Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the second wife of Muhammad Ali, were arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Feb. 7 after returning from speaking at a Black History Month event in Montego Bay. As they went through customs, they were pulled aside because of their Arabic-sounding names, according to family friend and lawyer Chris Mancini.
Camacho-Ali was released after showing a picture of herself with her late husband Muhammad Ali, but her son didn’t have a picture of his father and was detained for further questioning. He claims that officials repeatedly asked, “Where did you get your name from?” and “Are you Muslim?”
Ali stressed that he was a US citizen, born in Philadelphia and had an American passport, but he was still pressed about his religion.
Sigh. Is that even legal?
“To the Ali family, it’s crystal clear that this is directly linked to Mr. Trump’s efforts to ban Muslims from the United States,” Mancini said.
Mancin told NBC News, “This is an instance where the ban has been enforced even though it has been thrown out. The government is still trying to find grounds to keep Muslims out.”
On Friday, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a statement about the issue: “Due to the restrictions of the Privacy Act, U.S. Customs and Border Protection cannot discuss individual travelers; however, all international travelers arriving in the U.S. are subject to CBP inspection.”
