Palestinian Immigrant Detained Nine Days Houston Airport Released

Muhanad J. M. Alshrouf, a 22-year-old Palestinian man with a valid U.S. immigrant visa, was detained for nine days at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston without explanation or access to legal counsel, proper food, hygiene, or a change of clothes. Despite passing rigorous background checks by both U.S. and Israeli authorities and having no criminal record, Alshrouf was confined in a secondary screening room, a situation described by his attorney Maria Kari and civil rights groups as unlawful, unjust, and inhumane. His prolonged detention exceeded the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's policy which mandates processing within 72 hours. Alshrouf's father, a U.S. citizen, expressed distress over the lack of communication and the indefinite nature of the detention. Civil rights organizations, including the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), called for his immediate release and condemned the treatment as systematic profiling and dehumanization under President Donald Trump's administration. Alshrouf was finally released after public attention and media coverage of his case.