Detained by customs

Ex-wife and son of Muhammad Ali were returning from Jamaica

Being born in Philadelphia the son of a world-famous heavyweight fighter wasn’t enough to get Muhammad Ali Jr. past federal officials who detained him Feb. 7 for nearly two hours at Fort Lauderdale’s airport, according to a lawyer.

Chris Mancini, a Fort Lauderdale attorney, said that Ali, 44, and his mother Khalilah Camacho-Ali, were returning from Jamaica earlier this month when customs officials pulled them out of line at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

“Theywere both asked if they were Musban.

lim,” Mancini said.

Camacho-Ali, of Deerfield Beach, was quickly allowed to continue on, Mancini said. But her son, who has an American passport, was brought to another room for questioning that tied him up for nearly two hours, Mancini said. There, he was asked again about being Muslim and the origin of his name, Mancini said.

The attorney said he believes the stop is related to President Trump’s Executive Order travel ban that sought to prohibit travelers from certain predominately Muslim countries from entering the U.S. for several months. An appeals court struck down the “I think that this is a systemic program involving profiling of Muslims,” Mancini said. “This is the first time in their lives this has happened. They believe it’s an attack on their religious beliefs.”

The federal agency charged with monitoring airport arrivals, released this statement:“the restrictions of the Privacy Act, U.S. Customs and Border Protection cannot discuss individual travelers; however, all international travelers arriving in the U.S. are subject to CBP inspection.”

Reached at her home in Deerfield Beach where she’s lived for nearly six years, Camachosaid she’s traveled around the world eight times without an incident like this.

“I’ve never been so appalled in my life,” said Camacho-Ali, the deceased heavyweight champion’s second wife. “It’s outrageous. It’s unacceptable.”