PUBLIC FIGURES ARE GETTING TO TAINT AT AIRPORTS FOR OUR
IS A FOLLOWING DONALD TRUMP'S PROPOSED TRAVEL BAN.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE INCLUDED
MOHAMMED ALI'S SON MOHAMMED A LEE JUNIOR WHO WAS DETAINED
FOR HOURS ALONG WITH HIS MOM.
HE SPOKE TO MSNBC ABOUT WHAT OCCURRED.
APPARENTLY HE WAS FLYING BACK TO THE UNITED STATES AFTER
TRAVELING TO MUNCIE GO PAY TO DO A PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN
JAMAICA AND WHEN HE LANDED IN FORT LAUDERDALE HE RAN INTO
A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE.
TAKE A LOOK.
START WITH YOU, WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED ON THAT DAY IN THE
FLORIDA AIRPORT?
I GOT OFF THE PLANE AND I WAS GOING TO BAGGAGE CLAIM AND THE
GUY FROM IMMIGRATION PULLED ME ASIDE AND ASKED ME MY NAME THAT
I WAS LIKE OKAY, MY MINT MY NAME IS MOHAMMED I'LL LEAVE AND HE
ASKED ME WHAT IS YOUR RELIGION?
AND I WAS LIKE WHY WOULD YOU ASKED ME WHAT MY RELIGION IS?
DOESN'T MATTER?
HE ASKED ME AND I SAID I AM A MUSLIM AND IT WAS LIKE HE
DIDN'T BELIEVE ME BECAUSE HE TOOK ME IN THE BACK ROOM
AND ASKED ME THE SAME QUESTIONS AGAIN.
I ANSWERED THEM AND I WAS LIKE WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
WHAT IS GOING ON?
SO HE WAS LIKE, WE'RE CHECKING SOMETHING.
SO I WAS LIKE OKAY.
I WAS WAITING FOR LIKE AN HOUR AND 45
MINUTES FOR HIM TO CHECK SOMETHING.
UNLIKE I'VE OF THE THINGS TO DO.
WHERE IS MY MOTHER?
I WAS WORRIED ABOUT HER.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH HER.
I DIDN'T KNOW.
YOU WERE HELD FOR SHORTER OF TIME BUT YOU WERE HELD.
DO YOU BELIEVE IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOUR NAME OR QUESTIONING
YOUR RELIGION?
IT WAS OUTRAGEOUS.
THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME EVER.
I FELT VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.
THIS IS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE.
I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MOHAMMED BECAUSE I SAID THIS IS MY SON
AND WE'RE TRAVELING TOGETHER.
IT WAS A RED FIGHT WITH ME.
WAS WONDERING WHY THEY DID THAT TALK
IT HAPPENED AND MORE DETAILS ARE COMING OUT BUT APPARENTLY
AIRPORT SECURITY REFUSES TO RELEASE ANY DETAILS ABOUT IT.
THEY DON'T WANT TO PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED.
MY FAVORITE THING IN THE STORY IS HER JACKET.
IT'S PRETTY SPECIAL.
MANCINI, CHRIS MANCINI A FAMILY FRIEND AND LAWYER CLAIMED
THAT THEY HELD HER HIM FOR TWO HOURS REPEATEDLY ASKING
THEM WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR NAME?
HIS NAME IS MOHAMMED ALI JUNIOR.
LET'S THINK.
WHERE COULD HE HAVE GOTTEN A NAME FROM?
I DON'T KNOW, I CAN COME UP WITH ANYTHING.
YOU CLAIM YOUR NAME IS BOB STEVENS JUNIOR.
WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?
IS A CITIZEN OF A DIFFERENT COUNTRY.
HE'S FROM THE UNITED STATES I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WERE
GIVING HIM SUCH A TOUGH TIME HE IS A US CITIZEN.
WE DO KNOW WHY THEY WERE GIVING HIM A TOUGH TIME BUT THE
POINT IS IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE A US CITIZEN OR NOT
IF YOU SUPPORT DISCRIMINATORY POLICY THEN YOU ARE GOING
TO GET PROFILED REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR IMMIGRATION
STATUS IS A REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR CITIZENSHIP IS.
WE GET AROUND THIS IS ACTUALLY A SUPER SERIOUS
STORY THAT IS IN ABOUT A CELEBRITY SON.
THAT PART OF THE STORY IS NOT RELEVANT ON WHAT IS
RELEVANT AS THEY PULLED THE GUY ASIDE OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF
HIS RELIGION.
THEY ASKED HIM SEVERAL TIMES ARE YOU MUSLIM?
WITH A NAME LIKE MOHAMMED ALI THE ANSWER IS LIKELY YES.
HE DID ANSWER BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE TO ANSWER.
IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF OURS.
THAT IS NOT AN ISSUE IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU ARE DEEPLY IN AMERICAN.
THE TRAVEL BAN IS ARTIE PUT ON HOLD SO IT SHOULDN'T EVEN
APPLY IF HE WAS FROM THE SEVEN BAND COUNTRIES BUT HE IS NOT.
HE'S FROM A MYSTERIOUS PLACE CALLED PHILADELPHIA.
THAT'S WHERE HE WAS BORN.
HE IS HE WENT TO A BUSINESS TRIG AND TO JAMAICA AND COMES BACKÖ
MEAN THAT EVERY MUSLIM AMERICANS SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT GOING
ABROAD THEY SAID IT'S BECAUSE HE HAD AN ARABIC SOUNDING NAME.
YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN BE MUSLIM WHICH BY THE WAY ALSO HAPPENED.
BUT YOU HAVE A NAME THAT SOUNDS QUESTIONABLE TO SOME DUDE AT AN
AIRPORT AND NOW THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING AMERICA WE'RE
CHECKING DOCUMENTS ON THE SUSPICION THAT THEY MIGHT
BE MUSLIM WHICH IS NOT A THING.
I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE A JEW SO I HELD YOU FOR A COUPLE OF
HOURS.
JESUS, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
WE SAW IT FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO WITH AGENTS ASKING FOR
DOCUMENTATION FOR THEY GET OFF THE PLANE.
AGAIN, THE FIGHT WAS SOME SENTENCES GO TO JFK.
YOU CAN STOP PEOPLE FROM GETTING OFF THE PLANE.
YOU CAN'T DO IT THAT YOU DON'T ASKED HER PAPERS IN THIS
COUNTRY.
NOW THE BLEED OVER BECAUSE THE BAN HAS BEEN HELD UP THING FULLY
BY THE COURT, BUT THE AGGRESSIVE IMMIGRATION SLEEVES HAPPEN AND
YOU KNOW, FOR PURPOSES OF PIERCING PEOPLE OR HARASSING
PEOPLE BUT DEPENDING ON WHICH WE WANT TO GO BASED ON THE RELIGION
OR LOOK, EITHER ONE OF THEM IS GIVEN CARTE BLANCHE TO THESE
GUYS TO SLOW DOWN PEOPLE AND ASK QUESTIONS LIKE ARE YOU
MUSLIM AND WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR NAME?
I THE WAY I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY MEMBERS OF OUR
AUDIENCE HATE MUSLIMS BUT IF YOU DO AND YOU ARE LIKE
WHATEVER, I AM FINE WITH THIS.
MUSLIM SHOULD BE SCRUTINIZED LIKE THIS.
KEEP IN MIND THAT IS GOING TO IMPACT EVERYONE DIGEST
IMPACTED A FRENCH HISTORIAN WHO IS TRAVELING TO THE US TO
GIVE A SPEECH AT TEXAS A&M.
THIS IS A SCHOLAR BY THE NAME OF HENRY RUSSO.
HE WAS BORN IN EGYPT BUT HE IS A CITIZEN OF FRANCE AND
ACCORDING TO REPORTS, LITHOGRAPHIC 13.
RUSSO, AN EGYPTIAN BORN FRENCH CITIZEN WAS MISTAKINGLY
DETAINED BY US IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES ACCORDING TO
RICHARD GOLSON AND DIRECTOR OF THE GLASSCOCK CENTER FOR
HUMANITIES RESEARCH AT TEXAS A&M.
I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A CHILD.
HENRY RUSSO ALSO TWEETED THE FOLLOWING THAT I CONFIRM I'VE
BEEN DETAINED 10
HOURS I HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ABOUT TO BE DEPORTED.
THE OFFICER WHO ARRESTED ME WAS INEXPERIENCED AT THE UNIVERSITY
ACTUALLY SPRING IT ACTUALLY GOT ONE OF THE LAWYERS ON CAMPUS TO
DEAL WITH THIS NAME RIGHTEOUSLY GOT HIM TO COME TO THE US
AND GIVE THE SPEECH THAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE AT TEXAS A&M.
THIS IS CRAZY.
THE PRESIDENT TEXAS A&M.
THAT IS A SERIOUS POSITION IN TEXAS.
HE HAD TO GET THE
BALL ROLLING.
MOST PEOPLE TO GET THE PRESIDENT OF TEXAS A&M BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO SPEAK AT TEXAS A&M THEY ARE JUST
GOING TO BE DEPORTED BECAUSE OF AN INEXPERIENCED OFFICER.
I MENTIONED RHETORICALLY, CAN EVEN HAPPEN IF YOU ARE JEWISH.
IT'S A RESULT THAT IS LITERAL.
HENRY RUSSO IS JEWISH.
HE WAS BORN IN EGYPT.
THERE CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT, THERE ARE JEWS IN EGYPT, THERE
PLENTY OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS.
IT'S NOT IN THE TRAVEL BAN BY THE WAY.
YEAH, BECAUSE WHO THE HELL KNOWS THAT.
OR UNLESS YOU BELIEVE THAT STORY THAT IT IS TRUE THAT TRUMP
DOESN'T HAVE ANY BUSINESS DEALINGS WITH ANY OF THE SEVEN
COUNTRIES WITH ABANDON HE DOES IN SIMILAR COUNTRIES THAT
WORD BAND.
WHEN ENOUGH THAT'S WHY.
LOOK SAUDI ARABIA AND EGYPT ARE
IT GETS BETTER OR WORSE THE BIDDING ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
RUSSO IS A SCHOLAR IN THE HOLOCAUST.
THE PHRASE THAT HE IS BEST KNOWN FOR IS THE PAST THAT DOES NOT
PASS AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.
HE WARNS TO NEVER FORGET WHAT HAPPENS AND FELLOW HISTORIANS
TODAY ARE NOTING THE UNCOMFORTABLE IRONY OF THE
ARBITRARY DETENTION OF A HOLOCAUST HISTORIAN AND HOW HE
WAS COMING ALSO TO PRESENT ON VC, FRANCE AND HOW THEY
COLLABORATED IN ASKING FOR PAPERS AND THEN TURNING OVER
JEWS IN FRANCE.
HERE'S THIS JEWISH HISTORIAN HELD UP BECAUSE THEY THINK
YOU MIGHT BE MUSLIM.
IN THIS CASE, FOR 10 HOURS I GUESS THEY WERE TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT HE IS NOT FROM A BAND COUNTRY.
THE BAND DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE SO WHAT WOULD YOU FIGURE OUT.
IF YOU DEDUCE THAT HE WAS IN FACT MUSLIM, WHICH YOU THEN
SAY OKAY, WE DON'T LIKE MUSLIMS IN AMERICA.
THAT WOULD BE DEEPLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL I'M GOING
TO SEND YOU BACK.
OH NO, YOU ARE A FAVORED RELIGION AS OPPOSED TO A
DISFAVORED RELIGIONS YOU GET JUST A.
OH, YOU HAVE POWERFUL FRIENDS, YOU GET TO STAY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO THEY DO THIS TO THAT WE HAVE NO IDEA
BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT A FAMOUS BOXER SON OR PROFESSOR.
THAT'S WHY IT MATTERS TO COVER.
AND BY THE WAY, IF THEY ASK IF YOUR MUSLIM THERE IS NO
GOOD ANSWER.
IF THEY ASK ME AND I SAY I'M AGNOSTIC, WHAT IS THAT MEAN?
I WAS BORN INTO A MUSLIM FAMILY BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT
OH, SO YOU WERE MUSLIM?
YEAH, THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS.
THERE WAS NO GOOD ANSWER.
I WASN'T TRYING TO HIDE THAT FROM YOU, WHEN I WAS
STOPPED FOR RUSSO, THEY ARE LIKE I DON'T KNOW.
THEY ASKED
ABOUT HIS RELIGION LIKE ALL THE BUT THERE'S A REASON WHY
THEY HAPPENED TO STOP THE GUY.
HE WAS BORN IN EGYPT.
IF THEY ASKED HIM ABOUT HIS RELIGION AND I'M VERY
CURIOUS, IF HE SAYS I'M JEWISH, OH, YOU'RE FROM EGYPT AND
YOU ARE JEWISH.
THERE IS NO GOOD ANSWER.
THERE'S NOT AN ANSWER YOU CAN GET WHERE THEY GO, YOU ARE
RIGHT, MY BAD.
INNOCENT PEOPLE SHOULD NOT EVEN BE PUT IN A SITUATION
WHERE THEY HAVE TO ANSWER THOSE TYPES OF QUESTIONS.
WHY ARE WE HAVING TO DEAL WITH INTERROGATIONS JUST BECAUSE
WE WANT TO TRAVEL?
THAT'S THE PART THAT FRUSTRATES ME SO MUCH.
AMERICANS WILLINGLY GAVE UP CERTAIN PRIVILEGES, RIGHTS,
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT JUST SO THEY CAN SUPPORT
HATRED, JUST BECAUSE THEY HATE THE OTHER SO MUCH.
THEY DON'T EVEN REALIZE HOW MUCH IS GOING TO IMPACT THEM AS WELL.
YOU WANT TO TRAVEL, YOU ARE GOING TO DO WITH THIS KIND
OF CRAP.
YOU NEVER KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING TO PULL YOU ASIDE BECAUSE
YOU LOOK A LITTLE FUNNY TO THEM.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU
ARE AN ASCENT OREGON UNITED STATES CITIZEN, MUSLIM, JEWISH,
CHRISTIAN, YOU ARE GIVING YOUR FREEDOMS AWAY BECAUSE YOU HATE
THE OTHERS SO MUCH THAT THAT'S THE PART THAT DRIVES ME CRAZY.
YOU HAD THE MEXICANS OF THE MUSLIMS, YOU THINK
YOU'RE ABOVE ALL OF THEM.
THIS IS A KIND OF FREEDOM THAT YOU ARE GIVING UP AND IT IS
GOING TO COME BACK AND HAUNT YOU AS WELL.