DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — An immigration attorney says he was detained at Detroit Metro Airport by Customs and Border Protection officials who tried confiscating his cellphone.
Attorney Amer Mackled says it happened on Sunday as he was returning home from the Dominican Republic, where he was on spring break with his family.
The incident happened nearly two weeks after President Donald Trump directed the U.S. attorney general’s office to have attorneys and law firms face possible disciplinary action for what appears to "violate professional conduct rules."
Mackled is working on a high-profile case for a University of Michigan protester. Mackled spoke with anchor Glenda Lewis Tuesday afternoon.
“One of the agents scanned my passport and then asked a different agent if the TTRT team member was here. I didn’t know what that acronym stood for, so I Googled it and it turns out it’s the Tactical Terrorism Response Teams," Mackled said.
“So I looked over at my wife and I said 'they’re probably going to detain me for questioning.' Sure enough, they lead me into another interview room and at that point, my only concern was can my wife and kids leave.”
Mackled has been a civil rights attorney in Dearborn for 13 years. He is currently representing one of several protesters who were attested for resisting and obstructing after a pro-Palestinian rally at the University of Michigan last year.
“A plain-clothed officer walked in and wouldn’t identify himself to me, showed me a badge but wouldn’t give me his name and says to me ‘we know that you’re an attorney. We know that you’ve taken on some high-profile cases,’" Mackled said. “And the only high-profile case recently I’ve been taking is the representation of a University of Michigan protester.”
Mackled said he was detained for about two answers and was asked to turn over his cellphone.
“He said ‘well, we’re interested in the contents in your phone. And he hands me a pamphlet and says ‘we’re allowed to take your phone and give it to you later, but if you want to leave with your phone tonight, we’re gonna go through it,'” Mackled said. “Even if you took my phone, you’re not able to do anything with it legally anyways because it’s all privileged information. There’s thousands of emails, text messages, communications, files in my device.”
Mackled said it was a compromise over cellphone contacts that set him free.
“’What about your contact list? Is your contact list privileged?’” Mackled said he was asked. “I said ‘OK, if I give you the contact list, am I leaving with my device tonight?’ He said “yeah, we’ll let you take your phone home if you show us your contact list.’”
Mackled said he showed them his contact list and did not want to share anything else.
“If we still have the Fourth Amendment in this country, if we still have the ability to have our own privacy in our home or in our work, why would the government be able to take my phone at a border crossing? That law needs to be looked at. It needs to be challenged.”
Mackled's law office released the following statement:
“As a civil rights attorney, and one who vigorously protects the interests of all my clients, as well as honoring the Constitution of the United States, I reiterate my outrage at the detention and 90-minute interrogation by me of federal agents of United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during the early evening of Sunday, April 6, 2025 at Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan Airport.
Regardless of the rationale, if any for my detention, it appears to be an attempt by the Trump Administration to “chill” my work on behalf of defendants such as Samantha Lewis who has been charged with a felony by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel for protesting last September at the University of Michigan against the war on Gaza.
This blatant disregard of my own civil rights – as well as those of others being intimidated and deported by this Administration – constitutes the criminalization of free speech and a deliberate strategy of political repression that is a genuine threat to our democracy.”
Multiple law firms have sued in federal court over Trump's executive order that they say is meant to sanction firms who have previously investigated Trump. One of the law firms settled for $100 million in free legal fees.
Mackled said while he's disturbed, he knows the law and is concerned for people who don't. He suggests people take another phone when traveling if they're concerned about protecting personal information.
CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham released this statement to 7 News Detroit about the incident. It reads:
"This lawyer’s accusations are blatantly false and sensationalized. Upon entering the country, he was flagged and referred to secondary inspection — a routine, lawful process that occurs daily, and can apply for any traveler. During the approximately 90-minute screening, officers worked to ensure attorney-client privilege was respected during electronic media search. He provided written consent to a limited search of his electronic device, and all actions were conducted in accordance with established protocols. He was then promptly released. Claims that this was an attack on his profession or were politically motivated are baseless. Our officers are following the law, not agendas."
