The family of Muhammad Ali are reportedly considering a federal lawsuit after the boxing legend’s son was detained at an airport earlier this month by immigration officials.
The Ali family’s friend and lawyer Chris Mancini told the Courier-Journal that Muhammad Ali Jr. and his mother Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the second wife of Muhammad Ali, experienced some trouble passing through customs at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport upon returning from a trip to Jamaica on Feb. 7 because of their Arabic-sounding names.
Camacho-Ali had a photo of her and her former husband, and was allowed to pass, but Ali Jr. was questioned for nearly two hours. Mancini said Ali Jr. was asked repeatedly: “Where did you get your name from?” and “Are you Muslim?” Ali Jr., who was born in Philadelphia in 1972 and hold a U.S. passport, told them that he is Muslim.
Mancini blamed President Trump’s executive order that temporarily banned Muslims from several high-terror risk countries, and said the Ali family views their customs debacle as being “directly linked” to Trump’s “ban Muslims from the United States.” The ban was put on hold by a federal judge on Feb. 3.
Mancini said the family is weighing legal action.
“Imagine walking into an airport and being asked about your religion,” he said. “This is classic customs profiling.”
