A Canadian woman who was traveling to Burlington for a day of shopping says she was denied entry to the United States last weekend. She says it's because of her religion.
The CBC reported that Fadwa Alaoui, a Moroccan-born Canadian citizen with a Canadian passport, was denied entry at the Philipsburg, Quebec crossing along with her two children and a cousin.
Alaoui, who is Muslim and wears a hijab, told the CBC that border agents at the Vermont border asked her about videos in Arabic on her phone.
She says she was also asked about what she thought of President Donald Trump's policies, among other questions. Alaoui said after the questioning she waited an hour before border guards told her she was being denied entry.
She told the CBC that border agents said to her: "We found videos on your phone that are against us."
She said they were videos of prayers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection told the CBC in email that privacy laws prohibit discussion of individual travelers, and that the agency does not discriminate based on religion, race or ethnicity.
