An American Muslim civil rights group has accused the US government of forcing an American citizen into exile because of his faith. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on the US Department of Justice to look into the matter.
CAIR said Raymond Earl Knaeble IV, 29, has been placed on a no-fly list and has been unable to return home from Colombia since March.
According to CAIR, Knaeble this week flew to Mexico in hope of traveling to the Mexican-US border, but he instead faced lengthy interrogation by Mexican officials before being sent back to Colombia.
"He was stopped by Mexican authorities as he got off the plane and asked, 'Are you Muslim?' He was then detained for 15 hours and asked many questions relating to his faith," CAIR reported.
The group says it is illegal for a US citizen to be denied entry to his own country while he is not charged with any crime and such actions undermine the US Constitution.
Last week, a group of US lawmakers unveiled legislation that would authorize the government to revoke the citizenship of Americans thought to have joined hardline groups like al-Qaeda, arguing that this would then allow US forces to assassinate them freely.