Remain vigilant and increase your situational awareness given the evolving threat environment

New York Times:

A half-dozen people of Iranian descent who were held for additional questioning in Washington described extensive questioning about their family and background, even though, like Ms. Hekmati, many were American citizens. One woman said she was asked to write down the name of the high school she graduated from in Iran 39 years ago. Another person was asked about his parents’ military service from before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Others were asked to identify details about their Facebook accounts.

Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, said she had heard that as many as 200 people of Iranian descent may have been affected.

Legal advocates at a Monday news conference in Seattle described several cases of travelers being questioned about their feelings about the United States and what was happening in Iran.

Among those questioned at the Washington border was one woman who has lived in the United States for decades. She said in an interview that an officer asked whether she was part of any cult or Shiite Muslim organization.

Another traveler, Sepehr Ebrahimzadeh, said officers asked details about his father, who had performed military service before the Iranian Revolution.

Ms. Hekmati said one of the reasons she moved to the United States from Canada was the freedom offered in such a cultural melting pot. Now, she said, she is hearing from her friends in Canada who are wondering how much the United States really respects freedoms.

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