Latest news with #Atallah
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Lawyer says she's no terrorist as DHS accuses Sen. Shaheen's husband
DHS accused Shaheen's lawyer husband, William "Billy" Shaheen, of having traveled with a "known or suspected terrorist" -- and said the senator had used her influence to have him removed from a TSA watchlist. Shaheen denied getting her husband removed from a watch list, as Atallah, a close family friend blasted DHS for trying to "score political points by smearing innocent people." "Let me be crystal clear: I am a U.S. citizen, a licensed attorney, a law-abiding American, and Billy Shaheen's legal co-counsel," Atallah told Seacoastonline, part of the USA TODAY Network, adding she had been pulled out of airport lines more than 40 times for invasive searches. Atallah came forward after DHS said Shaheen's husband had been accompanied on flights by a suspected terrorist. "New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen's Husband Traveled with a Known or Suspected Terrorist Three Times in a Single Year," a June 4 DHS4 press release alleged. "I am the individual DHS referred to in its recent public release, the so-called 'known or suspected terrorist' who traveled with Attorney William 'Billy' Shaheen," Atallah said in a statement. "I have no criminal record and have dedicated my career to fighting for immigrants' rights here at home, and to representing, pro bono, Americans who were wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, out of a deep belief in justice and service," Atallah said. "In fact, I also worked closely with the Trump administration during its first term to help bring unlawfully detained U.S. citizens home." The DHS press release cites specific flights in which Bill Shaheen was a "Co-Traveler with a Known or Suspected Terrorist." Atallah said she was on those flights. Kristi Noem says Biden 'weaponized' watchlist DHS asserts that the TSA watch list program, "Silent Partners Quiet Skies," was politicized by the Biden administration, leading to the harassment of political opponents like Tulsi Gabbard, the former congresswoman and President Donald Trump's current director of National Intelligence - while letting political allies like the Shaheens off the hook. The Biden administration "weaponized" the program "against its political foes and to benefit their well-heeled friends," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in the press release. DHS announced June 5 it was ending the Quiet Skies Program, saying it had "failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year." Atallah doesn't disagree the Quiet Skies program was broken. "I had no idea I was ever on a TSA Quiet Skies watchlist until I read DHS's public statement," Atallah wrote. "I knew I was being subjected to humiliating searches -- frisked, pulled aside, questioned -- more than 40 times, and NOT ONCE did they find anything illegal, inappropriate or incriminating on me." Atallah said she asked Sen. Shaheen's office for help, "not to intervene but simply to understand why this was happening to me and who was behind it." "I have done nothing wrong and I am not worried - they can find anything on me if they try," she said. The Department of Homeland Security declined to say why Atallah was flagged as a possible terrorist. "We are confident in our law enforcement's intelligence, and we aren't going to share intelligence reports and undermine national security," DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, noting Atallah "chose to reveal herself of her own volition." Atallah filed a Freedom of Information Act request over the airport searches. In June 2023, DHS told Atallah it could "neither confirm nor deny any information about you which may be contained within federal watchlists or reveal any law enforcement sensitive information." DHS suggested, but didn't confirm, it may have made " may assist in avoiding incidents of misidentification." As a well-known immigration lawyer, Atallah said she has been working to arrange the return of Palestinian-Americans trapped in Gaza. "I have already helped individuals and families, including a prominent Massachusetts family," she said. "I have helped them get home; that's what I do and I am very passionate about it." Choir girl turned lawyer Atallah said she has known Jeanne and Bill Shaheen since she was 16, "when I was a choir girl at St. George Church in Dover, New Hampshire, a church that Billy's mother helped build." "It is both baffling and disgraceful to see this administration suggest that Bill Shaheen was 'traveling with a terrorist,'" Atallah wrote, "when, in fact, he was traveling with me: a fellow attorney and American citizen. This isn't just false, it's a deliberate and dangerous distortion, designed to score political points by smearing innocent people." Sen. Shaheen recently announced she will not seek re-election in 2026. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., is the Democratic frontrunner for her seat, and the Shaheens' daughter, Stefany Shaheen, of Portsmouth, recently announced her bid for Pappas' seat. "The whole situation is ludicrous," said Bill Shaheen. "I did not know I was on a list, or why I was on a list but I guess I know now. The first time I was searched, I was told it was 'random' when I asked why. After a few times, you get suspicious, and they will not tell you why you are on the list. That's un-American." Shaheen said the searches are invasive. "They take your belt; they feel up your crotch," he said. "They don't even bother to ask you on a date. Then they 'walk' you to the gate." Shaheen said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, his wife, never asked anyone to take him off any list. He only wanted to know why he was being searched and who was responsible. "If you are going to take away someone's rights, you better be ready to justify it, better be able to prove the facts," he said. Bill Shaheen said he has known Atallah since she was a little girl. "She has a very big heart and she wants to help people, wherever she can," he said. "She said, as a girl, she wanted to be a lawyer. I offered guidance to help her along the way. I cannot and will not ever believe she is a terrorist." 'Invasive and degrading' Shaheen's office said she contacted TSA "after her husband was subjected to several extensive, invasive and degrading searches at airport checkpoints." "Any suggestion that the Senator's husband was supposedly included on a Quiet Skies list is news to her and had never been raised before yesterday," the office said in a statement. "Nor was she aware of any action taken following her call to remove him from such a list." The senator's office noted Bill Shaheen had been stopped and searched at least five times, despite the fact that he is a former judge who also served as U.S. attorney for New Hampshire. Bill Shaheen is a respected Lebanese-American attorney, the senator's office said, who is active in the Arab-American community. What was TSA's Quiet Skies program? The Transportation Security Administration, which federalized airport security after the terrorist hijackings Sept. 11, 2001, created the "Quiet Skies" program in 2010 to provide additional screening for suspicious travelers. TSA has said individuals identified for additional screening aren't necessarily "known or suspected terrorists." Travelers are chosen for the list are based on aggregated travel data, intelligence and suspicious activity. TSA doesn't release how many people are on the list for security reasons. But press reports said 1.2 million people, including 4,600 U.S. citizens, were on the Terrorist Screening Database in 2017. Civil liberties groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have filed lawsuits on behalf of people who disputed their inclusion on the "Quiet Skies" list. But TSA officials have defended the program as "very effective" at providing security and protecting the privacy of travelers. Atallah said she chose to speak out to clear her name and the names of the Shaheens. "They used my story not to bring about accountability or reform, but to wage a partisan smear campaign," she said. "They twisted facts, spread falsehoods, and used the official platform of DHS to paint me, a U.S. citizen and attorney, as a 'terrorist' for political gain." Contributing: Bart Jansen, Josh Meyer - USA TODAY
USA Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Exclusive: 'I have done nothing wrong.' Lawyer says DHS called her 'suspected terrorist'
Exclusive: 'I have done nothing wrong.' Lawyer says DHS called her 'suspected terrorist' DHS said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen used her influence to get her husband taken off a TSA watchlist after he flew with a "known or suspected terrorist." Show Caption Hide Caption What you need to know about airport security rules and checkpoints Here are TSA rules that you need to know and what to expect at each airport checkpoint. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen denied knowing her husband, William "Billy" Shaheen, was on a TSA watch list, or that she used her office to have him removed. Immigration lawyer Celine Atallah said she is the "co-traveler" DHS alleged is a "known or suspected terrorist." Atallah blasted DHS for trying to "score political points by smearing innocent people.' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the Biden administration used the watchlist to target opponents including Tulsi Gbbard, who is now the U.S. Director of National Intelligence. A New England lawyer says she's been marked as a possible terrorist amid a fight between the Homeland Security Department and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., over a TSA watchlist. Immigration attorney Celine Atallah says she is the unnamed suspicious 'co-traveler' mentioned in a June 4 DHS press release attacking the senator — but insisted she's been unfairly tarred. DHS accused Shaheen's lawyer husband, William 'Billy' Shaheen, of having traveled with a 'known or suspected terrorist' — and said the senator had used her influence to have him removed from a TSA watchlist. Shaheen denied getting her husband removed from a watch list, as Atallah, a close family friend blasted DHS for trying to "score political points by smearing innocent people.' 'Let me be crystal clear: I am a U.S. citizen, a licensed attorney, a law-abiding American, and Billy Shaheen's legal co-counsel,' Atallah told Seacoastonline, part of the USA TODAY Network, adding she had been pulled out of airport lines more than 40 times for invasive searches. Atallah came forward after DHS said Shaheen's husband had been accompanied on flights by a suspected terrorist. 'New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen's Husband Traveled with a Known or Suspected Terrorist Three Times in a Single Year,' a June 4 DHS4 press release alleged. 'I am the individual DHS referred to in its recent public release, the so-called 'known or suspected terrorist' who traveled with Attorney William 'Billy' Shaheen,' Atallah said in a statement. "I have no criminal record and have dedicated my career to fighting for immigrants' rights here at home, and to representing, pro bono, Americans who were wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, out of a deep belief in justice and service," Atallah said. "In fact, I also worked closely with the Trump administration during its first term to help bring unlawfully detained U.S. citizens home.' The DHS press release cites specific flights in which Bill Shaheen was a 'Co-Traveler with a Known or Suspected Terrorist.' Atallah said she was on those flights. Kristi Noem says Biden 'weaponized' watchlist DHS asserts that the TSA watch list program, 'Silent Partners Quiet Skies,' was politicized by the Biden administration, leading to the harassment of political opponents like Tulsi Gabbard, the former congresswoman and President Donald Trump's current director of National Intelligence − while letting political allies like the Shaheens off the hook. The Biden administration 'weaponized' the program 'against its political foes and to benefit their well-heeled friends,' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in the press release. DHS announced June 5 it was ending the Quiet Skies Program, saying it had "failed to stop a single terrorist attack while costing US taxpayers $200 million a year." Atallah doesn't disagree the Quiet Skies program was broken. 'I had no idea I was ever on a TSA Quiet Skies watchlist until I read DHS's public statement,' Atallah wrote. 'I knew I was being subjected to humiliating searches — frisked, pulled aside, questioned — more than 40 times, and NOT ONCE did they find anything illegal, inappropriate or incriminating on me.' Atallah said she asked Sen. Shaheen's office for help, 'not to intervene but simply to understand why this was happening to me and who was behind it.' 'I have done nothing wrong and I am not worried − they can find anything on me if they try,' she said. The Department of Homeland Security declined to say why Atallah was flagged as a possible terrorist. "We are confident in our law enforcement's intelligence, and we aren't going to share intelligence reports and undermine national security,' DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, noting Atallah "chose to reveal herself of her own volition." Atallah filed a Freedom of Information Act request over the airport searches. In June 2023, DHS told Atallah it could "neither confirm nor deny any information about you which may be contained within federal watchlists or reveal any law enforcement sensitive information." DHS suggested, but didn't confirm, it may have made " may assist in avoiding incidents of misidentification." As a well-known immigration lawyer, Atallah said she has been working to arrange the return of Palestinian-Americans trapped in Gaza. 'I have already helped individuals and families, including a prominent Massachusetts family,' she said. 'I have helped them get home; that's what I do and I am very passionate about it.' Choir girl turned lawyer Atallah said she has known Jeanne and Bill Shaheen since she was 16, 'when I was a choir girl at St. George Church in Dover, New Hampshire, a church that Billy's mother helped build.' 'It is both baffling and disgraceful to see this administration suggest that Bill Shaheen was 'traveling with a terrorist,'" Atallah wrote, 'when, in fact, he was traveling with me: a fellow attorney and American citizen. This isn't just false, it's a deliberate and dangerous distortion, designed to score political points by smearing innocent people.' Sen. Shaheen, a former three-term governor, is completing her third term in the U.S. Senate and announced she will not seek re-election in 2026. Congressman Chris Pappas, D-N.H., is the Democratic frontrunner for her seat, and the Shaheens' daughter, Stefany Shaheen, of Portsmouth, recently announced her bid for Pappas' seat. 'The whole situation is ludicrous,' said Bill Shaheen. 'I did not know I was on a list, or why I was on a list but I guess I know now. The first time I was searched, I was told it was 'random' when I asked why. After a few times, you get suspicious, and they will not tell you why you are on the list. That's un-American.' Shaheen said the searches are invasive. 'They take your belt; they feel up your crotch,' he said. 'They don't even bother to ask you on a date. Then they 'walk' you to the gate.' Shaheen said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, his wife, never asked anyone to take him off any list. He only wanted to know why he was being searched and who was responsible. "If you are going to take away someone's rights, you better be ready to justify it, better be able to prove the facts,' he said. Bill Shaheen said he has known Atallah since she was a little girl. 'She has a very big heart and she wants to help people, wherever she can,' he said. 'She said, as a girl, she wanted to be a lawyer. I offered guidance to help her along the way. I cannot and will not ever believe she is a terrorist.' 'Invasive and degrading' Shaheen's office said she contacted TSA "after her husband was subjected to several extensive, invasive and degrading searches at airport checkpoints." "Any suggestion that the Senator's husband was supposedly included on a Quiet Skies list is news to her and had never been raised before yesterday," the office said in a statement. "Nor was she aware of any action taken following her call to remove him from such a list.' The senator's office noted Bill Shaheen had been stopped and searched at least five times, despite the fact that he is a former judge who also served as U.S. attorney for New Hampshire. Bill Shaheen is a respected Lebanese-American attorney, the senator's office said, who is active in the Arab-American community. What was TSA's Quiet Skies program? The Transportation Security Administration, which federalized airport security after the terrorist hijackings Sept. 11, 2001, created the 'Quiet Skies' program in 2010 to provide additional screening for suspicious travelers. TSA has said individuals identified for additional screening aren't necessarily 'known or suspected terrorists.' Travelers are chosen for the list are based on aggregated travel data, intelligence and suspicious activity. TSA doesn't release how many people are on the list for security reasons. But press reports said 1.2 million people, including 4,600 U.S. citizens, were on the Terrorist Screening Database in 2017. Civil liberties groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, have filed lawsuits on behalf of people who disputed their inclusion on the 'Quiet Skies' list. But TSA officials have defended the program as 'very effective' at providing security and protecting the privacy of travelers. Atallah said she chose to speak out to clear her name and the names of the Shaheens. 'They used my story not to bring about accountability or reform, but to wage a partisan smear campaign," she said. "They twisted facts, spread falsehoods, and used the official platform of DHS to paint me, a U.S. citizen and attorney, as a 'terrorist' for political gain.' Contributing: Bart Jansen, Josh Meyer - USA TODAY
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flag football at Olympics: NFL players will reportedly be approved to take part in 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles
When flag football makes its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the NFL should have a presence. League team owners are expected to vote Tuesday in favor of NFL players taking part in the event at the Summer Games, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's one of three major proposals league owners will debate at their May meetings this week. Club owners are also expected to vote on whether to ban the tush push and whether to alter how the playoffs are seeded. Both of those votes are expected Wednesday, per Schefter. Advertisement While NFL players are expected to be approved to take part in flag football at the Olympics, some details regarding their participation may still need to be sorted out. The 2028 Summer Olympics will take place between July 14 and July 30. That's right around when NFL training camps typically open, meaning the league and its teams will need to figure out how players can participate in the Olympics but still be ready for the NFL season. The league reportedly has some ideas in place for how player participation will work, per Schefter. If the proposal is adopted, any player with an NFL contract will be eligible for Olympic flag football tryouts. One player per NFL team can appear on a national team, though a designated international player will be allowed to play for their home country, per Schefter. Teams will also get insurance policies and salary cap relief if a player is injured during the Olympics. Those restrictions are subject to league negotiations with both the NFLPA and "Olympics-related entities." The NFL views flag football as critical in its plans for international growth. And there is expected buy-in from players, Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported: George Atallah, a former high-ranking executive with the NFL Players Association for the past 16 years, has been talking to NFL players for years about the possibility of the Olympic experience. Now the founder and CEO of SOMEBODY consulting firm, Atallah's years of union experience gave him a blunt vantage: If there are coaches and front-office executives out there assuming star players won't get on board with being an Olympian in flag football, they're wrong. 'I disagree that stars won't want to play,' Atallah said. 'NFL players would be geeked. My opinion, from talking to players the last couple years about this, is that star players absolutely want to participate. And if the closest high-profile analog sport is the NBA, almost all of the players who have won a gold medal who are superstars, point to that medal as one of the top two highlights of their careers. And I think the same is going to be true for American NFL superstars. The gold medal, it just hits different when you've got the American flag behind it.' Advertisement USA Football already has men's and women's flag football teams. Both clubs won the gold at the Flag Football World Championships in August. The men's team that took part in that event was comprised of non-NFL players. It's unclear what will happen with those players if NFL players are allowed to take part in the Olympics. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be the first time flag football will be part of the games. The setup and rules of the event will differ from NFL-style football. Each team will feature 10 players total. Five players from each team can take the field at a time. Teams will play two 20-minute halves at the Games. Advertisement The field will be smaller than a regulation NFL field. The Olympics will feature a 70x25-yard field, including 10 yards for each end zone. Teams will begin on their own 5-yard line and have four downs to make it halfway down the field. Teams can elect to run or pass on each play. A down ends when a flag is removed from a player, when they go out of bounds or when a forward pass hits the ground. If a team reaches the halfway point in four downs, they have four more downs to score a touchdown. If they are unable to do that, the other team takes possession of the ball on its own 5-yard line. After a touchdown is scored, a team can elect to go for an extra point by running a play from the 5-yard line. A team can also go for two points from the 10-yard line. Advertisement If teams are tied after 40 minutes of play, each team will receive possessions until one team achieves an unanswered score. Given the popularity of football in the United States, Team USA is expected to be a favorite to win the gold at the event.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flag football at Olympics: NFL players will reportedly be approved to take part in 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles
When flag football makes its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the NFL should have a presence. League team owners are expected to vote Tuesday in favor of NFL players taking part in the event at the Summer Games, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's one of three major proposals league owners will debate at their May meetings this week. Club owners are also expected to vote on whether to ban the tush push and whether to alter how the playoffs are seeded. Both of those votes are expected Wednesday, per Schefter. While NFL players are expected to be approved to take part in flag football at the Olympics, some details regarding their participation may still need to be sorted out. The 2028 Summer Olympics will take place between July 14 and July 30. That's right around when NFL training camps typically open, meaning the league and its teams will need to figure out how players can participate in the Olympics but still be ready for the NFL season. The league reportedly has some ideas in place for how player participation will work, per Schefter. If the proposal is adopted, any player with an NFL contract will be eligible for Olympic flag football tryouts. One player per NFL team can appear on a national team, though a designated international player will be allowed to play for their home country, per Schefter. Teams will also get insurance policies and salary cap relief if a player is injured during the Olympics. Those restrictions are subject to league negotiations with both the NFLPA and "Olympics-related entities." The NFL views flag football as critical in its plans for international growth. And there is expected buy-in from players, Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported: George Atallah, a former high-ranking executive with the NFL Players Association for the past 16 years, has been talking to NFL players for years about the possibility of the Olympic experience. Now the founder and CEO of SOMEBODY consulting firm, Atallah's years of union experience gave him a blunt vantage: If there are coaches and front-office executives out there assuming star players won't get on board with being an Olympian in flag football, they're wrong. 'I disagree that stars won't want to play,' Atallah said. 'NFL players would be geeked. My opinion, from talking to players the last couple years about this, is that star players absolutely want to participate. And if the closest high-profile analog sport is the NBA, almost all of the players who have won a gold medal who are superstars, point to that medal as one of the top two highlights of their careers. And I think the same is going to be true for American NFL superstars. The gold medal, it just hits different when you've got the American flag behind it.' USA Football already has men's and women's flag football teams. Both clubs won the gold at the Flag Football World Championships in August. The men's team that took part in that event was comprised of non-NFL players. It's unclear what will happen with those players if NFL players are allowed to take part in the Olympics. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be the first time flag football will be part of the games. The setup and rules of the event will differ from NFL-style football. Each team will feature 10 players total. Five players from each team can take the field at a time. Teams will play two 20-minute halves at the Games. The field will be smaller than a regulation NFL field. The Olympics will feature a 70x25-yard field, including 10 yards for each end zone. Teams will begin on their own 5-yard line and have four downs to make it halfway down the field. Teams can elect to run or pass on each play. A down ends when a flag is removed from a player, when they go out of bounds or when a forward pass hits the ground. If a team reaches the halfway point in four downs, they have four more downs to score a touchdown. If they are unable to do that, the other team takes possession of the ball on its own 5-yard line. After a touchdown is scored, a team can elect to go for an extra point by running a play from the 5-yard line. A team can also go for two points from the 10-yard line. If teams are tied after 40 minutes of play, each team will receive possessions until one team achieves an unanswered score. Given the popularity of football in the United States, Team USA is expected to be a favorite to win the gold at the event.
Boston Globe
19-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Mass. lawyer and his wife say they were handcuffed, detained for hours at Canada border: ‘It was a shock'
Advertisement Jessica Fakhry, right, poses with her sister-in-law, immigration lawyer Celine Atallah. Fakhry and her husband, Bachir Atallah, were detained at the Canadian border on Sunday for more than five hours as they were returning home to Massachusetts. Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe The couple said they were led from their car to the CBP station in handcuffs, and had no idea how long they'd be in custody. Officers answered their questions with vague statements about how 'the government' needed to search them, Atallah said. While being led down a hallway, Fakhry saw a pile of mattresses and feared they'd have to spend the night in custody. Atallah's sister, immigration lawyer Celine Atallah, criticized what she said was 'not normal protocol' from CBP in an interview Wednesday. 'I believe CBP thinks they are above the law, but they don't have a blank check at the border,' said Celine, who has a law office in Methuen, and lives in Salem, N.H. CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said Bachir Atallah's account of the couple's detainment is not accurate. Advertisement 'The traveler's accusations are blatantly false and sensationalized,' Beckham said in a statement. 'CBP officers acted in accordance with established protocols.' Celine Atallah said that while international travelers can be subject to more thorough secondary searches, she maintains that what happened to her brother was not 'routine security.' A CBP spokesperson said Friday the couple was detained for less than four hours. Officials did not immediately comment on the couple's other allegations about their detention. What happened to Bachir Atallah? Bachir Atallah, a lawyer who became an American citizen in October 2012, was driving back from Montreal with his wife when CBP officers at the Interstate 89 border crossing in Vermont told them to get out of their car, he said. Atallah gave the officers his keys, not knowing he and his wife were about to be handcuffed, he said. The couple were confused, but otherwise compliant as officers placed them in separate cells. But they began to worry when officers would not answer questions about why they were being held, Fakhry said. Atallah said he reluctantly signed a form giving officers permission to search his phone and email. That was concerning, he said, because information from his legal clients must remain private. Beckham, in a statement Friday, said CBP officers 'worked to ensure an attorney-client privilege was respected during the electronic media search.' Lawyer Bachir Atallah said he has been in the US lawfully since he was 14 years old. He became a US citizen in 2012. Bachir Atallah Sunday's detainment at the border did not feel like an isolated incident to Atallah. He was stopped three days later at Boston's Logan Airport and subjected to a secondary search before he boarded a flight to Lebanon to visit his parents. TSA agents inspected 'every credit card and every business card' in his wallet, as well as all his other belongings one by one, Atallah said. Advertisement TSA's New England spokesman confirmed Atallah was 'selected for Secondary Screening' at Logan, but did not provide further details. The spokesperson said the additional screening lasted 20 minutes. Atallah's wife and sister said they worried for his safety on Tuesday and Wednesday, while he flew first from Boston to Istanbul, on the way to Beirut. They're even more concerned about his flight back home to the U.S. this summer, they said. 'I'm pretty sure CBP will be waiting for me,' Atallah said. Wife was 'freezing cold' in cell Fakhry, who got her green card four years ago and applied for US citizenship in November, said she felt like she was in a dream when she heard the click of handcuffs placed on her wrists Sunday, shortly after 4:30 p.m. 'When they did that to me, I thought, 'Oh my god, I can't believe this is happening,'' she said. 'It was a shock. I was frustrated, I was shaking.' Bachir Atallah and Jessica Fakhry took a photo in downtown Montreal on Sunday, April 13, hours before they were taken into CBP custody at the border on their way back to Massachusetts. Jessica Fakhry Once in the cell, she was 'freezing cold,' shaking, and felt light-headed. She said CBP officers had taken her jacket and wouldn't give it back. When she asked for something to keep her warm, an officer gave her a yellow plastic tablecloth, she said. The couple's detainment comes a month after New Hampshire resident and green card holder Fabian Schmidt was Husband's blood pressure spiked while he was detained Like Schmidt, who was Advertisement An emergency medical responder came to the CBP station, took Atallah's blood pressure, and gave him an EKG test, which reported an abnormality, Atallah said. Because Atallah's blood pressure of 153/112 meant he was at risk for a stroke, CBP officers said he could go to a hospital, according to documents — but would be returned to their custody afterward. 'I said, 'No, I'm not going, I don't want to elongate the process,'' he said. During the five and a half hours Atallah and his wife were in custody, CBP officers did not tell him what they were looking for, even as they searched his phone, he said. 'I got the impression that if I don't give them access to what they wanted to look for, they'd hold me indefinitely,' he said. Detainment was not 'normal,' sister says Celine Atallah said the family plans to file a lawsuit to ensure what happened on Sunday at the border doesn't happen again, especially given her brother's busy travel schedule. Celine said it is normal for CBP officers to conduct secondary, in-depth searches, but she says what happened to her brother and his wife went beyond that. 'There was no reason for them to treat him that way, have all these officers around him like he's some sort of criminal,' said Celine. She described CBP's actions as 'harassment.' Bachir Atallah said he supports President Trump's goals to deport undocumented immigrants who have criminal records. Those policies make the US safer, Atallah said. Still, he believes the way he and Fakhry were treated violated their rights. 'You just took my freedom away for five and a half hours,' he said of his experience at the border. Advertisement 'I am a Republican, I believe in family values,' Atallah said. 'When it comes to immigration, I think maybe the intent is right, but they're handling things completely wrong.' Claire Thornton can be reached at
