(NY Daily News) A Muslim woman from Staten Island is suing U.S. customs agents who seized her phone at the airport, copied her data and held the device for more than four months after she returned on a flight from Switzerland.
Rejhane Lazoja said her iPhone 6 Plus and its SIM card were taken when she landed at Newark Airport in February by U.S. Customs and Border agents when she returned to the U.S. on Feb. 26.
Lazoja said that when the government returned the phone after 130 days, officials never explained why it was taken, and refused to destroy personal data they copied.
“When I came back to the U.S., I expected to be welcomed home,” Lazoja said. “Instead, I was questioned, degraded, and had my phone taken away. I expected better from my country and from customs officials.”
