Lawyer Representing Pro-Palestinian Protesters Detained at Detroit Airport

Amir Makled, a 38-year-old lawyer from Dearborn, Michigan, was stopped by federal agents on Sunday upon returning from a family vacation in the Dominican Republic.

According to an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Makled said agents questioned him about his clients and asked to access his phone.

"I'm an American citizen. I'm not worried about being deported," Makled told the paper.
"So I tell them, 'I know you can take my phone. I'm not going to give you my phone, however...90% of my work is on my phone. You're not getting unfettered access to (it).'"

Makled, who is currently defending a pro-Palestinian student arrested last year at the University of Michigan, said agents reviewed his contact list but ultimately did not seize his phone.
He was released shortly afterward.

Despite his release, Makled expressed concern over the incident, which he believes is tied to what he described as an alarming trend under President Donald Trump's administration.

"This current administration is doing something that no administration has done — they are attacking attorneys," he said.

"This is a different type of threat to the rule of law that I see. They are now challenging the judiciary, or lawyers. They're putting pressure (on them) to dissuade attorneys from taking on issues that are against the government's issues."

Makled's comments come on the heels of a directive issued by Trump to the Department of Justice last month, instructing the agency to pursue sanctions against lawyers allegedly aiding in what he called "rampant fraud and meritless claims" within the immigration system.

Makled emphasized that he is not an immigration attorney and said the administration is targeting legal professionals across the board.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham defended the agency’s airport screening practices.

"Claims that CBP is searching more electronic media due to the administration change are false," Beckham said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press.

"CBP’s search numbers are consistent with increases since 2021, and less than 0.1% of travelers have their devices searched."

He added, "These searches are conducted to detect digital contraband, terrorism-related content, and information relevant to visitor admissibility, all of which play a critical role in national security.

Allegations that political beliefs trigger inspections or removals are baseless and irresponsible."

Makled said the agents flagged him after taking his photo and requested the Tactical Terrorism Response Team (TTRT) to intervene.

"I thought, 'What the hell is that?'" he recalled.

"So I Google that (TTRT) quickly," discovering the name stood for Tactical Terrorism Response Team.

He said agents never disclosed the reason for his detention.

"I don’t know what triggered this," he said.

"I don’t know if it’s a result of civil rights cases or First Amendment issues involving student protesters. They wouldn’t tell me what it is."

Makled said he felt compelled to speak out about the incident and what he sees as a broader erosion of legal protections under the Trump administration. "We have an obligation as lawyers to stand up to this stuff," he said.

"I have to be a person who can speak out when your rights are violated.
We have to be the balancing act. We're a nation of laws. You gotta have lawyers."