Key facts
- British student Laith Alani was detained for 23 hours at Orlando International Airport and subsequently deported from the US.
- Alani claims he was subjected to profiling due to his Muslim faith and autistic condition.
- US Customs and Border Protection cited "inconsistencies" in Alani's travel history and stated he withdrew his application for admission.
- Alani alleges he did not fully understand the document he signed to withdraw his application.
- His case has been raised with the UK's Foreign Office, and Muslim and Arab groups have voiced concerns about similar incidents.
A British Muslim student, Laith Alani, claims he was subjected to profiling and detained for nearly 24 hours before being refused entry to the United States. Alani, who possesses a valid 10-year multi-entry US tourist visa, was interrogated for nine hours and held in a cell for 14 hours at Orlando International Airport. He alleges that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) searched his electronic devices and social media, questioned him extensively about his background, and implied he needed permission for previous travel to Iraq and Tunisia.
Alani, a law student from Oxford who identifies as autistic and legally disabled, stated he felt threatened and profiled due to his Muslim faith, asserting he would not have signed a document to withdraw his application for admission if he had fully understood it. CBP, however, maintains that "inconsistencies were identified" in Alani's travel history and that he "withdrew his application for admission." The agency denied accusations of racial profiling, attributing the length of his detention to limited flight availability and stating that all arrivals are subject to inspection.
Alani's local Member of Parliament, Anneliese Dodds, has raised the issue with the UK's Foreign Office. The case has drawn concern from Muslim and Arab organisations, which report a pattern of British Muslim travellers being detained, interrogated, and having their devices confiscated at US airports. Similar incidents involving other British citizens, including one held for 19 days and another for six weeks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have been reported.