LONDON: A British student deported from the US after being interrogated for nine hours has said he was profiled for being Muslim.
Laith Al-Ani described feeling “kidnapped” upon arrival in the US, when he was interrogated and then detained for another 14 hours by US Customs and Border Protection at Orlando International Airport, The Guardian reported on Monday.
The case has been raised with the UK Foreign Office by Anneliese Dodds, Al-Ani’s local MP.
It comes as Muslim and Arab organizations raise concerns over the treatment of travelers to the US.
Al-Ani, 20, said he had booked a one-week visit to Florida costing $3,380. He had hoped to visit the state’s famous theme parks and meet a California-based relative.
But upon arrival in Orlando, his electronic devices were seized and social media accounts investigated.
Al-Ani said he was questioned about his relatives, neighbors, hobbies and travel history before authorities escorted him on to a British Airways flight back to the UK.
“Inconsistencies were identified” in the 20-year-old’s travel history and he “withdrew his application for admission,” US authorities told The Guardian. Yet Al-Ani described his deportation being put to him as a “forcefully settled outcome.”
He was previously refused a fast-track ESTA visa waiver after reporting past travel to Iraq, where he has relatives. However, Al-Ani was granted a 10-year multi-entry B1/B2 tourist visa to the US.
“My prior travel history was scrutinised in detail, particularly a trip to Tunisia I took in July last year, a month after obtaining my visa,” he said.
“It was implied I needed permission for this travel and should have informed the embassy in advance, despite this being a last-minute trip with no plans in place prior to obtaining my visa.”
CBP correspondence with Al-Ani seen by The Guardian says an officer was “unable to overcome the presumption he was an intending immigrant.”
After almost 24 hours’ detention in Orlando, Al-Ani was informed he would be deported and was handed an electronic signature pad to sign.
He was then given a document bearing his signature that said he had rescinded his entry application.
“I would never have signed it if I understood,” Al-Ani said. “I’m autistic. I’m vulnerable. I’m legally disabled. I have a heart disorder. (The official) doesn’t care. He’s just nonstop interviewing me, nitpicking every single thing you can imagine.
“I felt like I’d been kidnapped. I was threatened with handcuffs. He’s profiled me because I’m Muslim. I count myself lucky I wasn’t shot, deported to another country or beaten.”
A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said: “It’s now a regular occurrence for many British Muslim families to hear of travelers to US airports holding British citizenship being detained, interrogated for multiple hours and devices being confiscated and searched, often on spurious grounds.”
Last month, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee highlighted its concern over reports that CBP officers were demanding access to travelers’ devices.
A CBP spokesperson said accusations of personnel “racially profiling are false. All persons arriving at a US port of entry are subject to inspection by CBP officers.”
