A watchdog group claimed that CBP detained and questioned 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans about their political beliefs at airports and the border. On January 3, the U.S. killed Iranian military commander Soleimani by drone strike. On Sunday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations claimed that at least 60 Iranian and Iranian-American people were detained and questioned by CBP at U.S. airports and the Canadian border. One of these people, an American medical student, was allegedly detained for 10 hours before being released. CBP reportedly asked the travelers about specific organizations, their political affiliation, and groups they had never heard of. CBP has dismissed these allegations as “false,” and said that there was no “DHS/CBP directive” in place to target Iranians based on national origin.

– Weekly Immigration Briefing by Olivia Hester, Immigration Law Analyst at Docketwise

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