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Mohamed Khairullah, mayor of Prospect Park, New Jersey since 2005, told CNN that he had been removed and detained for three hours by US Customs and Border Protection officers when he and his family had come down from the plane.
The interrogation began innocently enough – a CBP officer asked him standard questions, such as the one he was coming from and who he had visited. Then, according to Khairullah, the agent rotated: "Have you met terrorists?"
Mayor Khairullah said that he had made a polite "no" before asking to speak to a lawyer, saying the line of questioning was "harassment".
When he asked to end the interview, the mayor reminded the officer in charge of looking for his phone.
Khairullah consented, but as the research progressed, his family – his wife, 10-year-old son, 9- and 2-year-old daughters, and 14-month-old son – were waiting for him. agitated manner. the area outside the interview room, he asked that his phone be returned to him.
He added that the officer had informed him that if he revoked his consent to search his aircraft, he would have to confiscate it.
And they did it for 12 days.
Why him?
Khairullah said that the agent had told him that he had been chosen at random to talk to them after his descent from the plane, although he did not believe it.
"At the office, the agent said that he had been instructed by DHS to interview me, but he could not tell me why," he said. "I would love to know what was the reason."
Ahmed Mohamed, director of litigation at the New York branch of the Council on Islamic Relations, a US-Muslim civil rights group, said he spoke to Khairullah while he was at the airport and was continue to represent him in the matter.
He described the mayor's interrogation as "a flagrant case of profiling".
"He is treated like he's a terrorist in this situation – it's a behavior that should be unacceptable to all Americans in this country," said Mohamed.
The mayor stated that he "has not ruled out any legal action" against CBP as a result of the incident.
Anthony Bucci, Public Affairs Specialist at the US Customs and Border Protection New York Office, told CNN that the agency was "not allowed to discuss drug treatment." a person because of the law on the protection of personal information ".
The spokesman added that "CBP's power to conduct border searches is enunciated in many laws and has been repeatedly confirmed by the US Supreme Court".
"For a small number of travelers, this inspection may include electronic devices such as computers, discs, players, cassettes, mobile phones and other communication devices, cameras, music players, and other multimedia devices. and any other electronic or digital device, "said the spokesman. .
Others dispute CBP in court
In addition, some human rights defenders are currently challenging CBP's authority in federal courts.
The 11 plaintiffs in the case – 10 US citizens and 1 legitimate permanent resident – ransacked their laptops or phones while on the move. The applicants include a filmmaker, a NASA engineer and two journalists. The case is in progress.
DHS has not responded to a request for comment for this story.
Hugh Handeyside, counsel for ACLU plaintiffs, told CNN that some of his clients' phones had been confiscated by CBP for "six to eight months".
"They put people in a horrible position," Handeyside said. "They say:" Look, open your phone or we'll take it. "
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