Democrats ask if US citizens were detained at border checkpoints due to Iranian national origin
Senate Democrats are asking the Trump administration if U.S. citizens were detained at airports and other ports of entry due to Iranian heritage after reports that Iranian Americans were held at border checkpoints earlier this month amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Twenty Senate Democrats signed onto a letter to the department on Tuesday asking acting Customs and Border Protection (CPB) Commissioner Mark Morgan for answers regarding the reports of officers detaining travelers in early January based on Iranian national origin.
“As you are aware, CBP has the crucial responsibility of facilitating legitimate trade and travel through our ports of entry,” the Democrats wrote, according to a copy of the letter shared with The Hill.
“It is imperative that CBP follows our laws and does not discriminate based upon protected characteristics, as prolonged detainment of travelers based on discriminatory practices is a clear violation of CBP guidance,” the letter continues. “It is also vital that U.S. citizens and other travelers posing no risk to the homeland are not subject to unnecessary delay or unjustified intrusions as they transit across our border.”
The letter was led by Democratic Sens. Tom Carper (Del.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Patty Murray (Wash.).
Dozens of Iranians and Iranian Americans were held for hours at the Canadian and Washington State border the weekend of Jan. 4, The New York Times reported.
The report came amid an escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which ramped up after President Trump ordered a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 4 that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force, and others.
The Washington state chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement at the time that it was assisting more than 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans who were detained “at length and questioned” at the border crossing.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/478217-democrats-ask-if-us-citizens-were-detained-at-border-checkpoints-due-to
ANY Iranian that gets assistance from CAIR should be looked at with the Hubble telescope…
Are the Dim's worried some of the Iranian government officials' family members (that were given citizenship by Obama) are going to squeal or get exposed?
The letter: https://jayapal.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CBP_Iran_Letter_01072019.pdf