October 11th, 20230Harassment of American Muslims while flying has been a persistent problem since the expansion of the national security apparatus post 9/11. Racial and religious profiling by federal agents at airports to citizens being placed on watchlists without any means of due process are ongoing civil rights challenges for our community. Despite Mr....
September 29th, 20231WASHINGTON, D.C. – A federal terrorist watchlist, mostly consisting of Muslim Americans, is Islamophobic and being used for “harassment and humiliation” and should be withdrawn, civil rights advocates argue.
Formally known as the Terrorist Screening Dataset, or “TSDS”, the watchlist is made up of more than 1.5 million people,...
December 2nd, 20220DEARBORN — Abed Hammoud, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, has been named the new co-chair of BRIDGES (Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity).
Hammoud has extensive experience in law, practicing at both the state and federal levels, including his eight years serving as assistant U.S. Attorney and 15 years as...
November 17th, 20220A report says the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have failed to track data on domestic terrorism, including White supremacist violence, despite being required by a new law to do so.
This week, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a new report...
November 10th, 20220DETROIT — A federal agency has released a report, after a 2020 request from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan), on how the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can eliminate the potential for discrimination in travel screenings.
The report comes out of years of requests by Arab Americans and Muslim Americans to their...
October 5th, 20220DEARBORN — The Dearborn Police Department said it was proud to announce that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had appointed Police Chief Issa Shahin to its Faith-Based Security Advisory Council.
The Council is made up of 25 of the most distinguished leaders from various faith communities, who will meet for the first time...
April 9th, 20220A new agreement between Amtrak and the TSA to screen passengers against the controversial "terrorist watchlist" — deemed by many as unconstitutional — is raising concerns among civil rights advocates.
This week, a report by Hearst Television revealed that the TSA agreed to Amtrak’s request that it screen passengers against...
August 23rd, 20211DEARBORN — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) has sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, calling for a complete and thorough audit of the No-Fly and Selectee Lists to ensure innocent American citizens have not been...
January 16th, 20200WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it will extend but not redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemen, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) called on DHS to provide clarity and certainty to Yemenis living in the U.S. and people attempting to flee violence and the worst humanitarian...
April 12th, 20190WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the resignation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ron Vitiello, just days after her own. Nielsen resigned on Sunday after President Trump declared that he would look for “tougher” candidates to head the...
October 22nd, 20180Liliana Barrios was working in a California bakery in July and facing possible deportation when she got a call from her immigration attorney with some good news.
The notice to appear in court that Barrios had received in her deportation case hadn’t specified a time or date for her first hearing, noting that they would be determined...
July 6th, 20180
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration said on Thursday it would allow some 1,250 Yemenis to remain in the United States for at least another 18 months under protected status as war and a humanitarian crisis rage in their native country.
Yemenis in the United States with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be able to...
January 31st, 20180WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took a decision to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 7,000 Syrian beneficiaries residing in the U.S. Today’s decision only allows current TPS holders to renew their status and remain temporarily in the U.S. However, DHS refuse to...
October 6th, 20170DEARBORN — To those who are regularly held for questioning at airports or border crossings and believe they may be wrongfully placed on a federal watch list, the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center has news: You are most likely a terrorist or somehow connected to a suspected terrorist.
In Dearborn, where about half of residents are...
July 17th, 20170WASHINGTON- The U.S. government is allowing 15,000 additional visas for temporary seasonal workers to help American businesses in danger of suffering irreparable harm because of a shortage of such labor, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly found after consulting with Labor...
June 9th, 20170WASHINGTON — An associate professor at Lebanon's American University of Beirut said he was traveling to California for an engineering conference when he was unjustly barred from entering the US because of new “extreme vetting” measures.
George A. Saad, 35, missed his presentation at the Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference...
April 20th, 20170DEARBORN - The Social Security Office near Michigan and Outer Drive in Dearborn has been evacuated due to a suspicious package.
A number of other businesses in the Dearborn complex have also been evacuated.
Dearborn Police, Homeland Security and the bomb squad are investigating a possible bomb at the building.
April 7th, 20170DEARBORN —At 7 a.m. on Thursday, March 30, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents detained an Iranian Schoolcraft College student at his apartment in Dearborn.
According to his roommate, the student, Mohammad Salar Fard-Hajian, 24, holds a valid student visa and has been living in the U.S. for three years.
Police said he...
March 31st, 20170DEARBORN- At 7 a.m. on Thursday, March 30, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents detained an Iranian Schoolcraft College student at his apartment in Dearborn.
According to his roommate, Mohammad Salar Fard-Hajian, 24, was taken to the Dearborn Police Station where he was held in a cell and reached out to friends over the...
March 28th, 20170DEARBORN – A meeting on Monday, March 27 with community activists and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly turned antagonistic, when a local attorney and civil rights advocate pressed Kelly about orders and harassment that target Arabs and Muslims.
The meeting, held at The Arab American National Museum, was a second...
March 21st, 20170Washington, D.C.-Large electronics such as laptops, tablets, e-readers, and portable video players are among the devices that will be banned from flights from eight-majority Muslim countries.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared any electronic device larger than a mobile phone would be banned from airlines from these...
March 10th, 20170WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly released a statement in response to an onslaught of hate crimes against individuals and attacks against communities.
"I strongly condemn any violent acts to perpetuate fear and intimidation not only against individuals, but entire communities," said Kelly...
January 21st, 20170
DETROIT – As Arab and Muslim Americans prepare to reciprocate Donald Trump’s harsh scrutiny following the fruition of promised policies, a group of federal law enforcement officers are working to bridge the gap between themselves and a community critical of government.
The Middle Eastern Law Enforcement Officers Association...
