A devoted foster father accused United Airlines of “humiliating” him for simply traveling with two young girls, who were placed under his guardianship after their previous adoptive parents abandoned them.
Jim Niven was flying from Costa Rica to Denver with the two Colombian girls when the airline staff accused him of trafficking them to the US.
Highlights
- United Airlines was accused of “humiliating” a father for traveling with his two foster daughters.
- He claimed the airline staff accused him of trafficking and giving the teen girls illicit substances.
- The father was allegedly “interrogated” in front of other passengers.
- “Being a white guardian to Latina children is not a crime,” he said.
He called it “humiliating” after police officers “interrogated [him] in full view” of other passengers.
United Airlines was accused of “humiliating” a father for traveling with his two foster daughters
Image credits: David Syphers/Unsplash
“This was only because they don’t look like me and they don’t speak English,” he said.
The two girls were previously adopted by a family in the US, and hence, they already had their US citizenship.
But the Colorado parents walked away from the adoption and gave up custody of the girls, aged 13 and 15.
Image credits: Jim Niven
Jim then opened his heart and home up to the girls, who are currently under his legal guardianship.
The father has fostered more than 50 children with his wife and adopted three others, including two from China.
“Our family is not a typical one, and we are proud of that,” he said.
Jim Niven said he currently has legal guardianship over the two Hispanic girls, whose adoptive family had walked away from their adoption
Image credits: Jim Niven
While traveling from Costa Rica to Denver on July 2, the airline staff allegedly accused him of trafficking the two young girls.
“Because I’m white and my two Latina wards don’t speak English, United staff accused me of s*x trafficking and dr*gging them… without asking a single question or checking our long travel history together,” he wrote on social media.
“The crew refused to speak to the girls in Spanish — on a flight FROM a Spanish-speaking country — and reported us,” he added.
Once they landed at Denver International Airport, Jim and the girls were questioned by Denver Police, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents and United Airlines staff.
Image credits: David Syphers/Unsplash
He was “interrogated in full view” of other passengers, the enraged father said.
“It was humiliating. It was traumatic. And it was unjust,” he said on social media, accusing the airline staff of racially profiling him and the two Hispanic girls.
He told the Denver Post that the authorities “settled down” after he showed them his guardianship papers for the teenagers.
The father claimed he was “interrogated in full view” of other passengers and called it “humiliating”
Image credits: Jim Niven
Jim revealed that he contacted United Airlines to demand both an apology and a refund for the “ridiculous” ordeal.
“We have a long and very well documented history of traveling together as a family, sometimes all of us, and often in smaller groupings of siblings and guardians, depending on the trip,” he wrote in his post.
If the staff had checked their records, they would have seen that the girls had traveled with him several times on previous United flights, he said.
Image credits: Jim Niven
He also noted that he could have provided them with copies of the guardianship documents if they had asked him before alerting authorities.
“United did not follow any means of using common sense, even the most basic protocols, such as checking travel records, or asking a question,” he wrote.
Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash
Moreover, he explained how his children may not look alike, but they are still part of his “beautifully blended” family.
“Our multiracial family is beautifully blended: Asian, African, Latin, South Pacific, European. We don’t all look alike,” he wrote on social media. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”
As he demanded an apology and refund from the airline, he added, “United Airlines, this is not acceptable.”
“Being a white guardian to Latina children is not a crime. Being a multiracial family is not suspicious,” Jim said
Image credits: Henry Siismets/Unsplash
“The trauma your staff inflicted on these girls, on top of everything they have already endured, is inexcusable,” he wrote. “You failed them. Your crew failed them. Your corporate response failed them. And your so called protocol is broken.”
“Being a white guardian to Latina children is not a crime. Being a multiracial family is not suspicious,” he added.
Image credits: Hanson Lu/Unsplash
A spokesperson for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection claimed Jim’s accusations were “unfounded” as they were released after “inspection.”
“United Airlines personnel suspected human trafficking and referred the travelers to the Denver Police Department, who requested assistance from CBP,” they told People. “CBP takes accusations of human trafficking seriously and officers did their due diligence to question the travelers.”
Image credits: Jason Leung/Unsplash
“The travelers were released after CBP’s inspection, which lasted approximately 10 minutes,” they added.
The Denver Police also confirmed to the outlet that they responded to claims about possible trafficking at Denver International and concluded that there was no evidence of a crime being committed.
“America hates Dads,” one netizen commented, while another claimed, “Man’s just fishing for compensation here”
