A Michigan group is suing the U.S. State Department for allegedly holding up passports, visas, green cards and other paperwork filed by Yemeni-American Muslims.
The Council on American Islamic Relations Michigan filed suit against the federal government today on behalf of a Wayne County man.
Ahmed Nagi has been waiting 16 months for his passport application to be processed. He’s been a U.S. citizen since 1994. His attorney says Nagi’s name does not appear on any "no-fly" lists. No reason for the delay in processing his passport application has been given.
“They’ve just been unfairly targeted across the board and this is just one example,” says CAIR attorney Lena Masri.
Masri says by not processing their passports, visas, and other applications, the basic rights of Yemeni-Americans are being violated without due process.
“There are not able to see their families in Yemen or travel to perform the Hajj pilgrimage,” says Masri.
There has been no comment from the State Department regarding the lawsuit or the allegation.
The federal government has two months to respond to the lawsuit.
