Jim Niven, a U.S. citizen who lives in Costa Rica with his wife, says he was racially profiled by United Airlines staff on July 2 while flying from Costa Rica to Denver with two Colombian girls—his foster daughters, aged 13 and 15.
According to the Daily Mail, Niven explained in a now-viral Facebook post that he and his wife are the girls’ legal guardians and are in the process of adopting them after their previous adoptive family reportedly surrendered custody.
Flight Crew Suspicions Spark Airport Interrogation
Niven says that during the flight, a United Airlines flight attendant allegedly claimed he had “drugged the girls” and was trafficking them. He insists the accusations were completely unfounded and fueled by the fact that the girls—who do not speak English—“don’t look like” him.
“When we landed, we were met by police officers and interrogated in front of other passengers,” he wrote, adding that no translator was provided for the girls, who were visibly shaken by the incident.
The Denver Police Department confirmed they investigated the situation and found no evidence of a crime.
“This Was Racial Profiling” — Foster Father Speaks Out
In his post, Niven wrote: “This was only because they don’t look like me and they don’t speak English.” He explained that the family was traveling to Denver to visit his adult children and had all legal documentation proving guardianship.
Despite the verification, Niven criticized United Airlines for failing to follow protocol or provide a Spanish-speaking translator before alerting authorities. He says the incident caused unnecessary trauma to the two teenage girls who were already processing the emotional weight of being rehomed.
‘United did not follow any means of using common sense, even the most basic protocols, such as checking travel records, or asking a question,’
