The Lehigh Valley’s Republican congressman wants answers from the new head of Homeland Security about why six people from Syria trying to get to Allentown were ordered denied entry Saturday into the United States.
U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent speaks in November 2015 in Allentown. (Lehighvalleylive.com file photo)
U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, whose 15th Congressional District covers Lehigh and part of Northampton counties, released a letter Tuesday night he had sent Monday to Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly about the plight of the family.
The six were detained at Philadelphia International Airport and subsequently expelled within three hours of arrival, Dent told Kelly, the U.S. Marine Corps general confirmed Jan. 20 to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
President Donald Trump late Friday afternoon signed an executive order directing, among other things, the State Department to indefinitely stop issuing visas to Syrian nationals and halts the processing of Syrian refugees.
“According to the family, all six individuals were holding valid immigrant visas and the paperwork for their green cards was in order at the time of their landing in Philadelphia,” Dent wrote. “It is my understanding that these six individuals were in transit to the United States when President Trump signed his executive order and, as such, they should have been allowed to enter the country under the terms of their previously approved visas.”
Dent’s concerns about the implementation of Friday’s order are shared by others in Trump’s Republican Party. U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., called the order that goes on to restrict travel from seven Muslim-majority nations “too broad and poorly explained.” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday called the rollout of the order “terrible.”
Dent identifies the six people as Bassam Abou Asali, Jozfin Alshahaf, Jurjeet Abou Asali, Hassan Abou Asali, Sara Abou Asali and Mathyo Abou Asali.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania on Tuesday filed Sultanbet a federal lawsuit on behalf of the family, alleging Trump’s executive order violates several constitutional guarantees.
The family planned to settle in Allentown, where family members who are U.S. citizens had sponsored them and bought a home for them.
The Asalis — who were not refugees and had obtained visas after a 13-year effort — were denied entry and returned to Syria.
“They want to be safe,” said Sarmad Assali, a naturalized citizen who came to the U.S. when she was 13 who was helping her brothers-in-law and their families relocate. “They want to start a new life. Their kids are looking to build a future here.”
WATCH: ‘Crazy’ Trump orders protested in Easton
Assali told “NBC Nightly News” that she and other family members in Allentown voted for Trump, and she understands he wants to make America safe.
“We’re all on with this,” she said. “I definitely want to be in a safe place. But people need us and we need to be there for them.”
She told the news program she had a question for the new president: “Where is your human side to send somebody to a war zone?”
Assali and the Asali family spell their names differently.
Dent in his letter calls for “corrective steps to be taken as soon as possible to honor their visas and entry into the United States.” He goes on to ask Kelly about the status of the six individuals and the status of their visas and green card applications.
“What was the legal rationale behind the decision to expel these six individuals?” Dent continues in the letter. “What corrective actions have been taken thus far to remedy the wrongful expulsion of these six individuals; and what other actions are scheduled to take place to rectify this situation in a timely and just manner?”
Dent goes on to ask how judicial actions and new guidance on Trump’s order have impacted the status of the six people’s visas.
“Your assistance is greatly appreciated,” Dent closes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
