Dearborn attorney’s detention condemned as ‘blatant’ intimidation by Trump administration

BY JON KING, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—US Sen. Elissa Slotkin has condemned the detention of a Dearborn attorney by federal agents as he returned from a vacation with his family, calling it an attack on the legal profession by the Trump administration.

Amir Makled was detained by customs agents at Detroit Metro Airport on Sunday as he and his family returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic.

“When coming into the airport, I was screened and flagged when a Customs and Border Protection agent requested that they need a TTRT agent, Terrorism Task Force Response Team, to be summoned to the scene,” said Makled in a video posted to TikTok. “I said, ‘Oh, crap. Here we go.’”

Makled said he was subjected to prolonged questioning, during which agents demanded he surrender access to his phone despite not having a warrant and refusing to specify what it was they were looking for.

“This kind of intrusive border search, untethered from individualized suspicion, not only raises serious constitutional concerns under the First and Fourth Amendments, but also risks chilling protected speech and association,” Makled said in a statement released by the Detroit & Michigan chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

But an official with Customs and Border Protection said Makled was referred for secondary inspection, which she called “a routine, lawful process” that can apply for any traveler.

The guild noted that Makled currently represents Sammie Lewis, a pro-Palestinian demonstrator who was of seven individuals charged by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel with misdemeanor trespassing and an additional count of resisting or obstructing a police officer, a felony that carries a penalty of 2 years in prison, after officers cleared out a protest encampment from the University of Michigan campus.

“Attorneys, regardless of whom they represent, must not be subject to intimidation tactics by the government,” the guild said. “This incident is a blatant attempt by the Trump administration to deter attorneys from representing clients in politically sensitive cases.”

In response to the incident, Slotkin (D-Holly) also denounced Makled’s detention.

“You can’t just detain the people you don’t agree with. That’s not how our democracy works. Everyone in our country has a fundamental right to representation in court, and this Administration is attacking lawyers and the legal profession for simply doing their job,” Slotkin said in a Facebook post.

After about 90 minutes, Makled was released, but not before letting agents see his phone’s contact list. However, he said he refused to surrender access to the phone itself as it contained privileged attorney/client information.

“The lawyer has a fiduciary duty to protect the secrets of their client. Border patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection, the law allows them to seize our phones at the border crossing. They do have the right to take your phone. They do not, however, have the right to go through your phone without consent unless they have a search warrant,” Makled said.

Makled’s detention follows a March 22 presidential memo issued by President Donald Trump directing the U.S. Justice Department to “seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States.”

“It is because I took a position in the protester cases that I have been targeted. It is because I choose to stand firm on the beliefs that we should all have the right to speech, the right to protest, and the right to say no,” Makled said.

Customs and Border Protection Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs Hilton Beckham posted to social media Wednesday and called Makled’s accusations “blatantly false and sensationalized.”

Beckham said officers worked to ensure Makled’s attorney-client privilege was respected and that all actions were conducted in accordance with established protocols.

“Claims that this was an attack on his profession or were politically motivated are baseless. Our officers are following the law, not agendas,” Beckham said.

However, the National Lawyers Guild disputed that characterization.

“We decry the use of law enforcement agencies to attempt to chill dissent and undermine the rights of our members, attorneys, and their clients. We applaud Mr. Makled for safeguarding client information as well as his personal data from government intrusion and intimidation, and demand an end to these tactics from all parts of the government,” the guild said.

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This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.