Bank of America is facing some backlash amid reports they have been freezing the bank accounts of customers suspected of not being legal United States citizens.

The Miami Herald reported on Thursday from numerous customers who have accounts that Bank of America have either froze or threatened to freeze their accounts due to citizenship questions.

In recent months, Bank of America has been accused of freezing or threatening to freeze customers’ accounts after asking about their legal status in the U.S.

In July, the Washington Post reported that multiple customers had been locked out of their accounts after Bank of America questioned whether the account holders were U.S. citizens or dual citizens.

The bank said in a statement that it “may periodically request information, such as country of citizenship and proof of U.S. residency.”

Carla Molina, a spokesperson for Bank of America, told the Miami Herald that while she’s not able to comment on specific cases, there have not been any changes in the past decade as to how the bank of America collects information from its customers, adding that it is standard practice for the bank to make an attempt to contact its customers before changing the status of their bank accounts.

Molina also said the new complaints from customers in recent months could be a response to heightened sensitivities over the immigration debate in the U.S.

Image via: Mike Mozart, VIA: Flickr

Related