Also sued in the same lawsuit are agents of Immigration Customs Enforcement.
The lawsuit alleges wrongful arrest and detention and violation of Keil’s rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
It has been filed in the federal court of Missouri
What are his chances, Keil was asked. “Well I don’t know, but I have full confidence in my lawyers,” he said.
Keil has engaged Rekha Sharma and Michael Crawford of the Sharma–Crawford law firm in Kansas, Missouri.
Confirmation of the lawsuit comes just over a year since Keil was arrested in Dutton in September and accused of being an illegal alien.
Two months later, on Nov. 10, his arrest and detention sparked the first anti-American protest march staged in Samoa
Organized by the United States Veterans of Samoa Association, prominent figures from the clergy, political and business communities took part.
Members of his constituency marched with them in protest to the U.S. Embassy in Apia.
The treatment given Keil who was handcuffed, made to wear prison overalls, shackled and locked up with aliens, caused outrage.
More so because he was an official representative of Samoa, a current member of parliament and a prominent businessman with many family links.
He had diverted to Missouri on the way home from trade talks in Brussels where he represented Samoa.
Watching photos of the march come in on their lawyer’s computer in Kansas City, his family, including wife Celine and son Nathan, wept, overwhelmed by the show of support.
After proving his U.S. citizenship in court Keil was released to return to Samoa. He was given a letter by the U.S. State Department, confirming his American citizenship.
