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Palestinian man detained at TX airport for 10 days despite valid visa, lawyer says
On July 5, Muhanad J. M. Alshrouf arrived at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on an Emirates flight from Dubai after completing 'a years-long immigration process and receiving full approval for a U.S. immigrant visa,' according to a July 14 news release from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
McClatchy News reached out to Rusty Payne, a representative with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Houston, who said he would look into the matter.
Alshrouf, 22, has never been arrested and doesn't have a criminal record, according to CAIR. He passed 'rigorous background checks by both U.S. and Israeli authorities,' the organization said.
'His sole purpose in coming to the United States is to reunite with his U.S. citizen father and siblings and build a future in the country he has dreamed of since childhood,' according to the release.
Since arriving in Houston, Alshrouf has been kept in a secondary screening room 'without access to legal counsel, a change of clothes, proper food, or basic hygiene,' CAIR said.
His family said he is in the same clothes he arrived in, according to the organization.
'This young man legally entered the country with a U.S. immigrant visa, having passed every background check and security clearance. Yet he has been held in a secondary screening room for more than a week without due process or basic human compassion,' John T. Floyd, a board member of CAIR-Texas Houston and civil rights attorney, said in a statement. 'This type of treatment is unlawful, unjustified, and inhumane. We demand his immediate release and access to legal representation.'
Payne did not comment on this individual case but provided McClatchy News with some general information regarding travel into the United States.
'Under U.S. immigration law [Section 291 of the INA [8 USC 1361] applicants for admission bear the burden of proof to establish that they are clearly eligible to enter the U.S. To demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicant must overcome all grounds of inadmissibility,' he said in an email.
Payne explained there are '60 grounds of inadmissibility,' which can be due to many reasons including health-related grounds, criminality, security reasons and more.
'It is important to note that issuance of a visa or a visa waiver does not guarantee entry to the United States. A CBP officer at the port of entry will conduct an inspection to determine if the individual is eligible for admission under U.S. immigration law,' Payne said.
However, Maria Kari, an attorney and executive director for Project TAHA, called the detainment 'unlawful, unjust, and profoundly inhumane,' the CAIR news release said.
'CBP's own policy requires individuals to be processed within 72 hours. Airports are not detention centers. Yet Muhanad has been subjected to an unconscionable confinement, forced to wear the same undergarments for over a week. Is this the dignity America offers its newest residents?' Kari said.
'Although CBP refuses entry to those who are not eligible to travel to the U.S., CBP continues to welcome legitimate travelers to the United States,' Payne said.
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