Fartun Mohamed was in a state of shock when she got the call from her 8-year-old son’s father saying their son had been injured and needed potentially life-saving surgery. “I felt physically sick,” she recalls. Her son, Ramadan, was thousands of miles away in Kenya where he’d been visiting family. He was playing when he fell on the edge of a metal bed frame and ruptured his intestine.
Ms. Mohamed, a resident of Washington, wasted no time in gathering the money they needed for the surgery and buying a plane ticket to reach her son. But when she arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer stopped her and asked questions about the money she was carrying. Ms. Mohamed, who spoke only Somali, did not understand the officer's questions, and therefore responded only "[I do not understand]" (in Somali). The CBP officer, who did not provide a translator for Ms. Mohamed, abruptly confiscated the entire sum of money Ms. Mohamed declared--100% of which was destined for her son’s surgical payments and their return travel. The officer's report justified his actions on the basis that Ms. Mohamed was carrying more than the $10,000 travel limit, and she "did not have valid extenuating circumstances for carrying such a quantity."
Ms. Mohamed, unable to explain herself, was forced to travel on without the money. When she landed in Nairobi, she was distraught, as her son now had no means to receive his surgery, and they were now stranded in Kenya. It was at this point that Ms. Mohamed got in touch with me and my legal team at CAIR-WA. I quickly filed a complaint with Customs and Border Patrol and then called in a favor from local national security attorney Jay Gairson, who was able to use his internal contacts to pressure CBP for a quick response. CBP quickly acknowledged that Ms. Mohamed had “a compelling case” and agreed to return the money to the family. In the meantime, I connected Ms. Mohamed with the American Embassy in Kenya, where she was able to secure passports and return flights for her and her son back to the U.S.
In the end, 8-year-old Ramadan’s surgery was a success, and he was safely returned to Seattle where he continues to live with his mom, Fartun.
*Story and names shared with permission