“Being an immigrant in the U.S. is hard.”
Tonight on @rupaulofficial @rupaulsdragrace Mercedes Iman Diamond, the first Muslim Drag Queen on the show, got candid about her experiences in the U.S. as an immigrant. Originally from Mombasa, Kenya, Mercedes noted that “I used to travel a lot [for pageants]. It was just like so hard for me to fly that I ended up like, I used to drive state to state for shows.”
“They put me on a no-fly list, I used to be for a long time.” Mercedes notes that this was most likely due to her name and the current political climate.
“Because my name sounded “Muslim” they put me on a watch list.” I was like I’m a drag queen, what am I going to do?!”
“Because I couldn’t fly I was on the road all the time, to the extent of fainting during a show and having to use a wheelchair.”
The watchlist is a part of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database that has long been challenged for it’s “bloated, discriminatory, and unfair” practices.
The @aclu_nationwide believes the No-Fly List to be unconstitutional and is challenging the process in court. There is a process to remove yourself from the watchlist, and Mercedes says she’s no longer on it.