LOS ANGELES: The mother of two Native American teens has expressed outrage over her sons being pulled from a college tour in the US state of Colorado after police were called by a parent who felt "nervous" about their presence.
Lorraine Kahneratokwas Gray said the incident, which took place on Monday at Colorado State University, was clearly a case of racial profiling.
She said in several Facebook postings and in interviews with local media that her sons -- Thomas, 19, and Lloyd, 17 -- had scraped together enough money to drive from New Mexico to Fort Collins for the campus tour.
"The boys were shy and quiet, and weren’t actively participating in the tour banter, so someone 'got nervous' and called campus police on them," she wrote in a Facebook post. "The police officer pulled them aside, and the tour continued without them."
She said her sons were frisked by police and questioned before being released.
University officials described the incident as "sad and frustrating from nearly every angle" in an email to students and said a probe was underway to avoid similar incidents.
"We understand new procedures will be introduced to better manage camps tours," Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne said in a statement.
"We want to reiterate our commitment to ensuring our public universities are open and welcoming to all students and hope that the young men will not be deterred in their pursuit of attending college in Colorado, a traditional homeland to many tribal nations."
The incident, widely shared on social media, is being described as the latest example of racial profiling in a country riven by racial division.
Last month, two black men were arrested at a Starbucks coffee shop in Philadelphia after an employee called police and accused them of trespassing.