A Colorado woman is considering legal action against Frontier Airlines after their employees falsely accused her of trafficking her white adoptive sister.
The incident, which Lakeyjanay Bailey calls racial profiling, took place last week as the 21-year-old traveled from Denver to Dallas with her four-year-old sister Olivia, who is white. Once the two arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, authorities demanded to speak with her. During an impromptu investigation, one of the officers asked the child if she knew Bailey and her relation. The shocking accusations were only cleared up once their mother and a social worker verified that Olivia was indeed Bailey’s sister. The people picking the sisters up from the airport also confirmed that they were siblings. As the two were questioned, the young woman was subjected to stares and whispers by people who believed she was a sex trafficker.
Frontier Airlines confirmed that a passenger raised concerns about the child possibly being trafficked during the flight and wrote a statement, which was escalated. Frontier says that this was the only reason authorities acted swiftly. However, they deny that race played a role in the investigation, which Bailey strongly disagrees with.
“If the roles were changed and it was a white person walking off the plane with a Black person, like a Black child, I feel like things would be different,” Bailey stated.
The airline says that its flight crew was following “established protocols.”
