Immigration officers detained and questioned at a Florida airport because he was muslim
Camacho Ali was returning from a Black History Month event in Jamaica with his mother
Donald Trump's ban forces Muslims go through rigorous screening at American airports
Muhammad Ali's son was detained by immigration officials at a Florida airport and questioned about his ancestry and religion despite identifying himself as the son of the boxing great.
According to the Times, a family friend who spoke on Saturday said the officers at the airport proceeded to go tough on him after revealing he was a Muslim.
Muhammad Ali's son (right)
Camacho Ali was returning from a Black History Month event in Jamaica, with his mother, Khalilah Camacho Ali.
They were pulled aside and separated from each other while going through the immigration checkpoint on Feb. 7 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Chris Mancini, a family friend and attorney said her son was released after showing a photo of herself with her ex-husband, the former heavyweight boxing champion
Ali Jr., 44, who confirmed his Muslim faith, was detained about two hours, despite telling officials that he's Ali's son and a native-born U.S. citizen, Mancini said. It was the first time Ali Jr. and his mother have ever been asked if they're Muslim when re-entering the United States, he said.
"From the way they were treated, from what was said to them, they can come up with no other rational explanation except they fell into a profiling program run by customs, which is designed to obtain information from anyone who says they're a Muslim," Mancini said in a phone interview with the Times.
"It's quite clear that what triggered his detention was his Arabic name and his religion."
During his detention, Ali Jr. was asked repeatedly about his lineage and his name, "as if that was a pre-programmed question that was part of a profile," Mancini said.
US President Donald Trump
Camacho Ali and Ali Jr. live in Florida. They have not traveled abroad since, and are considering filing a federal lawsuit.
Ali, a three-time heavyweight champion and humanitarian, died last June at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
In December 2015, he released a statement: "We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda," he said.
He is one of the most recognized sports figures of the past 100 years, crowned”Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC.
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