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(HERNDON, VA, 6/12/07) - The Maryland and Virginia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA) today called on immigration officials to explain why a three-year-old child of a father who is a U.S. citizen and a mother who is a permanent resident is being denied entry to this country.
CAIR-MD/VA representatives say the child has been denied entry to the United States for the past two years. They suspect the denial may be related to the child's name, "Ahmed Yasinne," which is similar to that of a Palestinian leader assassinated by Israel.
The child's father, who lives in Falls Church, Va., came to the United States from Morocco in 1997 after winning the U.S. immigration lottery. He became a citizen in 2005. His wife was granted permanent residence status in 2006. For the past two years, the child has been living with an aunt in Morocco while the immigration approval process has been stalled.
Many Muslims say they are facing similar issues with the slow pace of immigration name checks.
A recent article in Arizona's East Valley Tribune stated: "Although government officials say the name checks do not target people of certain races or religions, many in the Muslim community feel theirs are the majority of the names that produce 'hits' in the database. Immigration lawyers say the bulk of their clients who come seeking legal assistance because of security checks are of Middle Eastern descent."
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