A Trump fan who’s been a US citizen for 10 years got what he voted for after crossing into Vermont on return from a trip to Canada last Sunday, suffering from a blood pressure explosion or something after being cuffed by Border Patrol agents for five hours, the man’s sister tells Newsweek.
Celine Atallah says her brother, Bachir “voted for President Trump. What he and his wife regret is the trauma they endured on US soil – both handcuffed without cause, separated, humiliated, and treated like threats instead of citizens. I’m a Democrat. He’s a Republican. Our political views might differ, but we are united in one belief: no American should ever be treated this way. Not for how they look. Not for how they vote.” Maybe CBP would’ve left him alone if he was wearing a MAGA hat.
“The traveler’s accusations are blatantly false and sensationalized. CBP officers acted in accordance with established protocols. At the port of entry the traveler was appropriately referred to secondary inspection – a routine, lawful process that occurs daily, and can apply for any traveler. Officers worked to ensure an attorney-client privilege was respected during the electronic media search,” said CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham in a statement to Newsweek – the last part about privilege apparently a nod to Bachir Atallah being a real estate lawyer and that avoiding compromising cases about real estate that have jack shit to do with Border Patrol.
In response Celine Atallah said that Homeland Security and Border Patrol “gave us no answers. No reason. No explanation. Instead, they issued a public statement calling this a ‘routine inspection’ and dismissed my brother’s account as ‘false and sensationalized.’The fact that they continue to downplay it is not just dishonest – it’s disgraceful. He was handcuffed without justification, separated from his wife, locked in a freezing cell for over five hours, denied legal counsel, and under duress, had to grant CBP access to his privileged attorney-client communications.'”
“We’ve seen people say my brother ‘deserved’ what happened to him – simply because of who he voted for. That’s not just cruel. That’s a direct threat to what it means to be American. In this country, your rights don’t come with a party label – they come with a Constitution. And the moment we start deciding who ‘deserves’ dignity based on politics, we all lose. This is not just about my brother. This is a warning to every American. If a law-abiding citizen can face this for simply coming home, then no one is safe,” Celine continued, almost saying “He’s an asshole but he’s my asshole.”
And to her point about “deserving” what happened to him: Whether or not this is karmic justice is beside the point. Bachir simply got what he voted for. That’s it. Celine voted for Kamala Harris and didn’t want this, hence why she’s the one speaking out and not her MAGA brother, lol.