Even after the guns were drawn and the agent called out for him to get out of his vehicle and put his hands above his head, Michael Greene thought someone else was the subject of all the action.

Greene, owner of Rock Island Technology Solutions, presented his passport to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent at the Peace Arch border crossing Sunday, about 10 a.m. He was returning to the States after attending a gathering of the British Columbia Pipers Association.

The agent asked him the standard questions, Greene said, and he answered. Not a minute had passed when, out of the corner of his eye, Greene saw Customs agents “pouring out of the building.” An agent yelled for someone to get out of a vehicle.

On the second command, Greene realized the agent was talking to him. He got out of his truck and put his hands over his head as ordered. The guns of between six and 12 agents were pointed at him. He was handcuffed and taken inside.

Turned out, Greene had the same name and approximate birthdate of a Midwestern fugitive described as “armed and dangerous.”

Greene was taken into a room where he was patted down and asked if he had any drugs or weapons. He was uncuffed and an agent took his wallet and shoes. Greene told the agents he thought they’d made a mistake. An agent said it would get sorted out. Greene was left alone in the room.

An agent returned and took Greene into an open area, gave him his shoes and wallet back and said it was a case of mistaken identity.

About that suspect with the same name: He’s described as a 220-pound black man from Iowa.

“I’m 190 pounds and very white,” Greene said, to which an agent responded, “We must have scared the black out of you.”

Greene was allowed to get in his vehicle and leave. His vehicle had been moved to an inspection area but there were no signs it had been searched, he said. Ironically, Greene didn’t have an opportunity to claim the items he brought back from Canada, including a sgian dubh — a ceremonial knife that is worn as part of modern Scottish Highland dress.

Greene said the actions of the agents were “excessive.” And he worries about a repeat performance in future visits; he travels to Canada two or three times a year, he said.

Chief Tom Schreiber, the CBP’s public affairs liaison in Blaine, said the racial comment by the agent was “obviously” inappropriate. But he defended the actions of the agents.

Schreiber said agents try to run a check on every passport through the National Crime Information Center, the United States’ central database for tracking crime-related information. But it’s a check of names and birthdates only.

“It doesn’t give all the details,” Schreiber said. “Those are determined in a more detailed examination of the record.”

Schreiber said almost 1.1 million people come into the United States every day. “If .001 percent is a hit, every third day we’re making a felony arrest,” he said.

If you’re stopped at the border and you feel you’ve been mistreated or an agent acted unprofessionally, you can ask to speak with a supervisor on the spot.

“On a rare instance when a supervisor is not available, there’s somebody available by phone,” Schreiber said. “If a comment is made that is inappropriate and unprofessional, you can ask for a comment card, or you can take a postage-paid comment card and fill it out any time. All cards receive a response. You need to let someone know or we can’t take corrective action.”

Schreiber said comments can also be filed online, on www.cbp.gov.

“We’re working to make the system better,” he said.