OMAHA — An Aurora man with roots in the Middle East has sued a Nebraska county and its sheriff’s office, alleging he was a victim of racial profiling while passing through Omaha.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska said it filed the lawsuit Monday in Douglas County District Court for Michael Omair, a naturalized U.S. citizen.
“We believe this is intentional discrimination in violation of the Constitution,” said Amy Miller, ACLU Nebraska’s legal director.
Douglas County Chief Deputy Marty Bilek declined to speak directly to the allegations, saying he would need to review incident reports. But Bilek said he’s confident that his colleagues don’t practice racial profiling.
Omair’s lawsuit alleges that he was driving a New York-licensed vehicle to Colorado when he was pulled over on Interstate 80 in Omaha by a sheriff’s deputy in August 2008. The deputy told Omair that he was pulled over for speeding but then began asking questions about his race and ethnicity, according to the ACLU. Omair, born in Jordan, became a U.S. citizen more than 30 years ago. Omair alleges deputies searched the vehicle and his luggage for at least two hours. He was not ticketed. The Associated Press
