Lawmaker Raises Alarm Over ‘Religious Profiling’ at Chicago Airport
Rep. Steele asks Customs and Border Protection to ‘fully investigate this instance for any connection to the Chinese Communist Party.’A California lawmaker is the latest member of Congress to call for an investigation into a Chinese-speaking customs officer who she said “accosted” members of a U.S. artist group over their faith at Chicago’s O'Hare airport.Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), in a letter to Troy Miller, acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), pointed to the “alarming events” at the airport, which included the officer openly labeling New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts as “political” and “illegal” to his peers and asking questions the artists found insinuating.Ms. Steele said the customs officer’s behavior on March 11 ended up “traumatizing members of the troupe and causing unnecessary delays.”Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Oct. 20, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)“The inappropriate questioning and accusations made by the customs official echoed Chinese Communist Party propaganda used to disparage the group,” she wrote.She asked the federal law enforcement agency to “fully investigate this instance for any connection to the Chinese Communist Party.”Shen Yun’s tour manager Teresa Du recalled the customs officer saying to nearby officers: “They’re Falun Gong. They’re political. They’re illegal.”Related StoriesThe customs officer, whose accent suggests he might have originated from China’s mainland, asked the U.S.-born Ms. Du whether her group was “being sponsored by Falun Gong.” He also approached other counters while other dancers were being processed.Falun Gong, which teaches truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, faces ongoing persecution in China that involves torture, arbitrary jailing, and forced organ harvesting.Propaganda aimed at vilifying the faith appears in Chinese school textbooks and state media. The word “political” is often used as an attack word to frame adherents’ attempts to call for an end to the systematic abuse.“The inappropriate questioning and accusations made by the customs official echoed Chinese Communist Party propaganda used to disparage the group,” Ms. Steel wrote in the March 20 letter, a copy of which was shared with The Epoch Times.Around a dozen congressional offices have publicly criticized the officer’s conduct or expressed their disquietude in private.Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), in an earlier letter to CBP, said the behavior from the officer amounts to “a breathtaking and reprehensible violation of their constitutional rights” if substantiated.“The Shen Yun performers, some of whom are U.S. Citizens, may have been discriminated against due to their belief in Falun Gong,” he wrote on March 15. He said an “immediate investigation” is critical not only for protecting all U.S. citizens’ First Amendment rights.“Perhaps as urgent is the need to ascertain and prevent officers with foreign sympathies from gaining and using an official position to assert their personal beliefs on others,” he said.Ms. Steel, who has personally seen Shen Yun perform, said it “captures and revives traditional Chinese culture.”Teresa Du, tour manager with Shen Yun Performing Arts, at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill., on March 15, 2024.(Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)“The performance is rooted in spirituality, and influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism,” she wrote. “Many Shen Yun artists practice Falun Gong, a religious movement subjected to severe CCP persecution.”She told CBP in her letter that: “Religious profiling by an American government official is inexcusable, and failure to hold this individual accountable risks further discriminatory behavior.”CBP told The Epoch Times it “responds directly to members of Congress through the appropriate channels” when asked for comment on Ms. Steel’s letter.The agency didn’t respond to several previous queries about specific concerns made by Congress members, but told The Epoch Times that “CBP strictly prohibits profiling on the basis of race or religion.”
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Rep. Steele asks Customs and Border Protection to ‘fully investigate this instance for any connection to the Chinese Communist Party.’
A California lawmaker is the latest member of Congress to call for an investigation into a Chinese-speaking customs officer who she said “accosted” members of a U.S. artist group over their faith at Chicago’s O'Hare airport.
Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), in a letter to Troy Miller, acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), pointed to the “alarming events” at the airport, which included the officer openly labeling New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts as “political” and “illegal” to his peers and asking questions the artists found insinuating.
Ms. Steele said the customs officer’s behavior on March 11 ended up “traumatizing members of the troupe and causing unnecessary delays.”
.
.
“The inappropriate questioning and accusations made by the customs official echoed Chinese Communist Party propaganda used to disparage the group,” she wrote.
She asked the federal law enforcement agency to “fully investigate this instance for any connection to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Shen Yun’s tour manager Teresa Du recalled the customs officer saying to nearby officers: “They’re Falun Gong. They’re political. They’re illegal.”
The customs officer, whose accent suggests he might have originated from China’s mainland, asked the U.S.-born Ms. Du whether her group was “being sponsored by Falun Gong.” He also approached other counters while other dancers were being processed.
Propaganda aimed at vilifying the faith appears in Chinese school textbooks and state media. The word “political” is often used as an attack word to frame adherents’ attempts to call for an end to the systematic abuse.
“The inappropriate questioning and accusations made by the customs official echoed Chinese Communist Party propaganda used to disparage the group,” Ms. Steel wrote in the March 20 letter, a copy of which was shared with The Epoch Times.
Around a dozen congressional offices have publicly criticized the officer’s conduct or expressed their disquietude in private.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), in an earlier letter to CBP, said the behavior from the officer amounts to “a breathtaking and reprehensible violation of their constitutional rights” if substantiated.
“The Shen Yun performers, some of whom are U.S. Citizens, may have been discriminated against due to their belief in Falun Gong,” he wrote on March 15. He said an “immediate investigation” is critical not only for protecting all U.S. citizens’ First Amendment rights.
“Perhaps as urgent is the need to ascertain and prevent officers with foreign sympathies from gaining and using an official position to assert their personal beliefs on others,” he said.
Ms. Steel, who has personally seen Shen Yun perform, said it “captures and revives traditional Chinese culture.”
.
.
“The performance is rooted in spirituality, and influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism,” she wrote. “Many Shen Yun artists practice Falun Gong, a religious movement subjected to severe CCP persecution.”
CBP told The Epoch Times it “responds directly to members of Congress through the appropriate channels” when asked for comment on Ms. Steel’s letter.
