U.S. citizen says he and his wife were detained after returning from Canada without explanation

A U.S. citizen said he and his wife were detained for several hours by U.S. border agents when they returned to the United States after a brief trip to Canada.

Bachir Atallah told CNN that he and his wife Jessica drove back to the U.S. Sunday night after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents conducted a secondary inspection at the Highgate Springs checkpoint in Vermont and visited their Canadian family.

Atallah, originally from Lebanon, said he was told to park his Range Rover and hand over his keys. Atala said when he asked the officer why, the officer placed his hand on the gun and told him to leave the vehicle. He said, then he was handcuffed and entered a cell where his property was confiscated. He said his wife was placed in a cell opposite him.

“It's heartbreaking to see my wife's mascara crying because she's crying,” Atala said. “It's not humane.”

Atallah said when he was detained that he provided the CBP agent with a password for his cell phone after request. He said that despite his complaint, agents never told him why he and his wife were detained. He said he never read his rights.

“The allegations of travelers are blatantly false and sensational,” CBP officials said in a statement to WMUR, a CNN affiliate. “The CBP officials act in accordance with established agreements. After arriving at the port of entry, the traveler is properly referred to as a secondary inspection – a daily legal process that occurs daily and can apply for any traveler.”

The White House’s massive deportation campaign has sparked fears to slow the arrival of the border and eliminate undocumented immigrants. President Donald Trump also threatened to send certain American citizens to maritime prisons, a concept expert said there was no legal basis.

“I’m worried about my life,” Atala said.

Atallah has no answers about what happened, saying he started suffering from chest pain and felt dizzy and told CBP to call the ambulance. CNN reviewed records show that Emergency Medical Services assessed Atallah around 8 p.m. Sunday.

Atallah said if he went to the emergency room, he was told by the CBP that an officer would accompany him and then return him to the cell from the beginning. He said he chose to stay and not leave his wife.

Atallah said after he was handcuffed for the first time, he told officials to call the lawyer, sister Celine Atallah, an immigration lawyer.

A man left a voicemail on Celine's phone call near 9pm to inform her Atallah and his wife at Highgate Springs CBP that they were “safe” and they were “safe for a while”.

Celine Atallah said in an interview: “He wants my help, and he doesn't know he's good.”

He said Bashir and Jessica left at around 11 p.m. on Sunday.

“Thank God, we are safe,” they said in Arabic once they got in the car and drove home.

When contacted by phone on Friday, Atala said he was visiting his family in Lebanon. He and his wife told CNN after treatment last week that he was worried about returning to the United States.

“I hope they won't revenge because I'm talking,” Atala said.

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