The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) announced during a press conference on Thursday that it would be filing a complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ) due to unwarranted detention and unlawful searching and questioning of American Muslims at various border crossings into the U.S. They also have filed a request with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for an investigation into current policies and procedures in relation to American Muslims.

CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid and CAIR Attorney Lena Masri spoke about filing the complaint at the conference, along with American Muslims who shared their stories of repeatedly being detained and questioned by border agents.

“The stories are all eerily similar,” said Masri, “although the incidents all took place at various points of entry. The passengers hand over their passports to the agents and are immediately told to turn their cars off and within seconds their cars are surrounded by agents brandishing weapons. Men have been thrown against their vehicles, handcuffed and taken in for questioning.” She also made mention of body searches that victims said were close to sexual harassment.

Masri reported that their office has had a huge increase in the number of complaints or reports made regarding discrimination at the borders. A jump from one or two reports a week to now as many as six complaints, some of which have been made anonymously.  Although the Michigan chapter is filing the complaint, Walid made mention that similar reports have been made to CAIR offices across the nation, from New York to Washington State.

Ali Suleiman Ali, an imam from Canton, was one who filed a report with CAIR-MI.  He reported on only two of what he described as “numerous incidents” at the border.  Ali mentioned not just being stopped at the border from Canada, but also at an airport in Atlanta, Georgia, causing him to miss a flight home.

He said he was asked, “Where is your mosque?” and “How much money have your brought into this country?”

Kheirebdile Bouzid, a 22-year-old calculus teacher and Abdulrahman Cherri, 22, a student from the University of Michigan; were also stopped at the border.

“They asked about my family members, their names, and what mosque I went to, and if I could give the names of any terrorists as though they expected me to know some,” Bouzid said. “They asked  how I felt about September 11th, if I was a Wahabbi or Salafi,  as if I knew what that was. They asked me if I wanted to kill a kufar (unbeliever) and if I had, had any ‘training.'”

When Bouzid asked what he did and why he was stopped, he said the officer replied, “We don’t know yet.”

The individuals in the suit have reported being handcuffed and searched, one of whom was made to stand for the entire time he was detained.

“These individuals have been detained without any predication of them committing a crime while reentering the country or having any warrants for their arrest. These are hardworking, tax-paying, upright people who are simply exercising their right to reenter their country like any other American,” said Walid. “All of us here irrespective of religion or ethnicity should be horrified that this is happening to fellow Americans.”