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More than 60 Iranians and Iranian Americans were questioned Saturday as they tried to reenter the U.S. through the Peace Arch Border Crossing to Blaine, Wash., the Washington-state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said. Some were subjected to delays of several hours and asked numerous questions concerning their political views and allegiances, according to accounts the organization received.

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A spokesperson for Washington Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib said his office received reports that Iranians and Iranian Americans were being asked “probing questions,” such as their thoughts on Suleimani’s assassination and on Iran, as well as inquiries about whether their fathers had served in the Iranian military. Military service is compulsory for all males older than 18, although some wealthy families are able to pay fines to keep their children out of the draft.

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Enoka Herat, immigrant rights counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union in Seattle, said Sunday that her organization had also received reports concerning questioning of people of Iranian heritage at the Blaine border crossing. “It seems that American citizens are being targeted because of their ancestry,” she said. “We’ve seen that historically that doesn’t bode well.”

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