Claims that Iranian Americans are being detained at a U.S. border crossing in Blaine, Wash., are false, says Customs and Border Patrol.
"Social media posts that CBP is detaining Iranian-Americans and refusing their entry into the U.S. because of their country of origin are false," CBP spokesman Mike Friel said in a statement.
"Reports that DHS/CBP has issued a related directive are also false," he added.
The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) earlier Sunday said immigration authorities detained and questioned at least 60 Iranians and Iranian Americans over the weekend at the Peace Arch Border Crossing along the border with Canada. The group said some were held for at least 11 hours.
The report comes after the U.S. killed an Iranian military commander during a drone strike.
CAIR also cited a CBP source who said the Department of Homeland Security issued a national order for CBP to “‘report’ and detain anyone with Iranian heritage entering the country who is deemed potentially suspicious or ‘adversarial,’ regardless of citizenship status.”
“We are working to verify reports of a broad nationwide directive to detain Iranian-Americans at ports of entry so that we can provide community members with accurate travel guidance,” Masih Fouladi, executive director of CAIR’s Washington chapter, said in a statement.
The report caused an uproar, with Reps. Adam Smith and Pramila Jayapal tweeting they were trying to gather more information on the detentions.
“Let me be clear: Instituting xenophobic, shameful and unconstitutional policies that discriminate against innocent people, trample over basic civil rights, and put fear in the hearts of millions do not make us safer,” Jayapal said in a statement.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.