A lawsuit challenging the questioning of Muslims about their religious beliefs at the U.S. border can continue, a U.S. district court judge in Detroit ruled Tuesday.
The lawsuit names FBI Director Robert Mueller III, former acting Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner David Aguilar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, along with individual agents.
Judge Avern Cohn ruled that the plaintiffs in the case, four Muslim Americans who were all detained and questioned each time they crossed the U.S.-Canada border, had demonstrated that the agencies had a policy of questioning Muslim Americans entering the country, appeared to violate equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.
The lawsuit alleges Muslim Americans were singled out and asked questions like which mosque they go to, how often they pray and who their religious leader is.