CBP denies claims that it detained Iranian-American citizens crossing at Peace Arch
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied claims Sunday that more than 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans were detained at length for questioning at the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine this weekend because of a Department of Homeland Security directive.
“Social media posts that CBP is detaining Iranian-Americans and refusing their entry into the U.S. because of their country of origin are false,” CBP spokesperson Michael Friel said in a statement to The Bellingham Herald. “Reports that DHS/CBP has issued a related directive are also false.”
The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sent out a news release Sunday stating that it was assisting more than 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans that had been detained and questioned for a lengthy time in Blaine.
The claims come in the wake of last week’s U.S. airstrike near Baghdad’s airport that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the mastermind of its interventions across the Middle East. Iran promised to seek revenge, and the U.S. said Friday that it was sending thousands more troops to the region as tensions soared.
The release went on to say that Iranian-Americans were preparing to cross from Canada into the U.S. at the Peace Arch crossing to return to their homes following an Iranian pop concert Saturday in Vancouver, B.C.
According to the council’s release, those who were detained reported having their passports confiscated and being questioned about their political beliefs and allegiances.
The release also said that CBP officials at Blaine refused to comment on the reasons for the detentions.
“These reports are extremely troubling and potentially constitute illegal detentions of United States citizens,” said Masih Fouladi, executive director of the state Council on American-Islamic Relations. “We are working to verify reports of a broad nationwide directive to detain Iranian-Americans at ports of entry so that we can provide community members with accurate travel guidance. We will continue to update the community and other civil rights organizations as we obtain more information.”
The organization also said in the release that the DHS issued a national order to CBP to “report” and detain people with Iranian heritage entering the country thought to be “adversarial” or suspicions, regardless of their country of citizenship.
“Based on the current threat environment, CBP is operating with an enhanced posture at its ports of entry to safeguard our national security and protect the America people while simultaneously protecting the civil rights and liberties of everyone,” Friel said in his statement to The Herald. “CBP routinely adjusts staffing and operations to maintain the duel missions of border security and facilitation of lawful trade and travel.
“Processing times are the result of the current circumstances, including staffing levels, volume of traffic, and threat posture.”
Friel said that wait times increased to an average of two hours on Saturday evening, though some travelers waited more than four hours due to increased volume and reduced staff during the holidays. On Sunday morning, Friel said wait times were approximately 40 minutes for passenger vehicles.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ news release said a 24-year-old American citizen and medical student, identified only as Crystal, said she reported being detained and questioned for more than 10 hours at the Peace Arch crossing early Sunday.
“The vast majority of people being held last night were American citizens,” Crystal said in the news release. “We kept asking why we were being detained and asked questions that had nothing to do with our reason for traveling and was told ‘I’m sorry this is just the wrong time for you guys.’”
Friel said, “CBP does not discriminate based on religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 3:12 PM.
