The second wife of the late Muhammad Ali and her son, Muhammad Junior, are considering legal action after being detained by immigration agents at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
A family friend says the son and second wife of the legendary boxer were detained by immigration officials at FLL when returning from a Black History Month event in Jamaica.
An Ali family lawyer tells The Associated Press Saturday that the Alis were unconstitutionally profiled by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Fort Lauderdale. Chris Mancini says that Ali's 44-year-old son and his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, were arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on February 7 after returning from Jamaica.
Mancini says officials questioned Ali Jr. for nearly two hours, repeatedly asking him, "Where did you get your name from?" and "Are you Muslim?"
Officials allegedly continued questioning Ali Jr. after acknowledging that he was Muslim. Ali Jr. was born in Philadelphia and holds a U.S. passport.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Daniel Hetlage confirmed that Ali Jr. was held for questioning by customs officers, but maintained "it wasn't because he's a Muslim and it wasn't because of his Arabic-sounding name."
(Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown)