A Muslim woman alleges she was mistreated by border officials at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport after she was denied entry to the United States. Ayat Manna, who lives in Halifax, said she had a one-way ticket leaving Monday for Cleveland, where she was planning to spend several months to visit her husband.
The 25-year-old was held for questioning – something she said made her believe she was targeted because she was wearing a head scarf and is a Muslim woman. Border officials questioned her for more than four hours about why she was visiting the United States.
She said she was told to go home and escorted from the building by the RCMP. “I felt like I was a terrorist. Everybody was staring at me and it was the most embarrassing moment of my life.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency denied many of her claims of poor treatment.
