New York (Online): The son of world’s most famous boxer was detained at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport earlier this month, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, it was revealed Friday
According to American media Muhammad Ali Jr., the son of Muhammad Ali, was detained and questioned twice about his religion by immigration officers on his way back from Montego Bay, Jamaica, with his mother and Ali's first wife, Khalilah. Ali's mother showed officers a picture of herself with her ex-husband, who died last June 3, so she was not detained. Ali Jr. had no such photo.
Chris Mancini, a former federal prosecutor and friend of the family said, "This is an outrage. I don't know what is going on with Mr. Trump's claim that his ban is not religion-based. We do not discriminate in this country based on religion."
Mancini further said that Ali Jr., age 44, had no criminal record and carries a United States passport. He recently moved to Deerfield Beach to live with his mother. Last year, Ali Jr. received a large share of his father's multimillion-dollar fortune.
"I don't know what is going on with Mr. Trump's claim that his ban is not religion-based. We do not discriminate in this country based on religion."
Mancini said that the detention is an instance where a ban proposed by the Trump administration and overturned by both a trial court and an appeals court is nevertheless being enforced.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Norma Morfa, declined to comment on Ali Jr.'s case specifically.
She told New Times, "Due to 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."
The incident is the second strange detention of a person of color at FLL since Trump's crackdown on Muslim travel was announced in January.
