Democratic lawmakers from New Jersey despatched a letter to the White Home and the U.S. Secret Service on Wednesday demanding they clarify why a Muslim mayor was blocked from attending an occasion hosted by President Joe Biden.
Prospect Park, New Jersey, Mayor Mohamed Khairullah was invited to the White Home for a reception Monday celebrating Eid al-Fitr, marking the tip of Ramadan. However in response to Khairullah, the longest-serving Muslim mayor within the state, the Secret Service referred to as him as he was set to reach and knowledgeable him that he hadn’t acquired the clearance required to enter the premises.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Invoice Pascrell and Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker requested “an in depth clarification of what occurred and why” within the letter, which was addressed to Secret Service and White Home officers.
“We additionally urge you to offer Mayor Khairullah with the substantive causes he was denied admission and urge you to provoke a evaluation of Mayor Khairullah’s standing in order that sooner or later he could possibly attend occasions and characterize his constituents on the Individuals’s Home,” the letter continues.
A Secret Service spokesperson confirmed on Monday night that the mayor had not been permitted to attend the occasion.
“Whereas we remorse any inconvenience this may occasionally have triggered, the mayor was not permitted to enter the White Home advanced for this night’s occasion,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi mentioned in a press release shared with a number of information retailers.
The White Home didn't reply to HuffPost’s request for remark.
Khairullah, who has served because the mayor of Prospect Park for over 17 years, mentioned he believes he was racially profiled. His title appeared on a leaked 2019 Division of Homeland Safety “No-Fly” Checklist; the identical 12 months, the mayor mentioned he and his and his household have been detained at JFK airport and requested if he knew terrorists. It’s unclear whether or not he's on a watchlist or why.
Khairullah mentioned in a press release that he appreciated the assist he had acquired from lawmakers, however he added that “it’s essential to notice that this difficulty goes past an invite to the White Home, and even myself as a person.”
“There are at the very least 1.5 million folks on that watchlist, the vast majority of whom have Muslim and/or Arab names,” he mentioned. “It’s a shame that these kinds of lists exist, particularly as a result of there isn't any precise recourse for folks like myself who're blacklisted. I ask the Biden administration to do what’s proper and dismantle these lists fully.”
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