Libyan-born comedian wins $35k settlement from US government after border agents pulled him off a Greyhound bus and accused him of being an ‘illegal with fake documents’
- Mohanad Elshieky sued the federal government after border agents arrested and detained him at a bus station in Spokane, Washington, back in 2019
- Elshieky, who was on his way home to Portland after a comedy show, said the border agents accused him of being an ‘illegal’
- Despite him showing proof he had recently been granted asylum, Elshieky said the agents accused him of faking his documents
- Elshieky was granted the $35,000 settlement on Thursday
A Libyan-born comedian has won a $35,000 settlement from the US government after border agents pulled him off a Greyhound in Oregon and falsely accused him of being an illegal immigrant.
Mohanad Elshieky sued the federal government after border agents arrested and detained him at a bus station in Spokane, Washington, back in 2019.
Elshieky, who was on his way home to Portland after a comedy show, said the border agents accused him of being an ‘illegal’ despite him showing proof he had recently been granted asylum.
He was granted the $35,000 settlement on Thursday.
Mohanad Elshieky sued the federal government after border agents arrested and detained him at a bus station in Spokane, Washington, back in 2019
‘To have the same government that is supposed to protect me accuse me of lying and being here illegally really shook me and undermined my hard-fought sense of safety,’ Elshieky said in a statement.
‘I’ll never forget the harassment and humiliation by the officers when it was clear I belonged in the United States and on that bus.
‘I hope my experience can at least be a wake-up call for others, and a lesson for CBP and its agents to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and to honor their rights.’
Elshieky, who now lives in New York City, encountered the border agents back on January 27, 2019, when was on his way from Spokane to Portland after a show.
He tweeted about the ordeal at the time, saying the border agents boarded the bus at the station, walked around and then asked him and several others to get off.
Despite producing multiple documents proving he had been granted asylum, the comedian said the agents interrogated him for 20 minutes before claiming his papers were fake and calling him an ‘illegal’.
Elshieky, who was on his way home to Portland after a comedy show, said the border agents accused him of being an ‘illegal’ despite him showing proof he had recently been granted asylum. He took this photo of the agents who detained him
‘I kept it together and told them that what they are doing now is illegal and that they must hand me my documents back or I will have to call my lawyer and take legal action.
‘Another agent then started yelling at me to take my hands out of my pockets and I did which is stupid because it was snowing and they were wearing gloves and my hands were freezing cold.
‘They handed my documents back and said “next time, have your papers on you” which means nothing because I did and they said they were fake.’
He filed the administrative complaint against the agency in April 2019 seeking $250,000 in damages.
Elshieky was seeking the damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which says officials can be liable for interference with a person’s freedom of movement that amounts to an unlawful arrest or false imprisonment.
He was represented by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington.
Elshieky, who now lives in New York City, encountered the border agents back on January 27, 2019, when was on his way from Spokane to Portland after a show
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