LOS ANGELES: Five long-time US residents who are Muslim or from Muslim-majority countries sued the federal government on Thursday, saying the Department of Homeland Security was unfairly denying or delaying requests for citizenship and permanent residency on vague security grounds.
The plaintiffs complain their immigration or naturalisation petitions were illegally thwarted after they were flagged for potential national security concerns under a federal programme. They complained that the criteria for flagging applications under the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program were secretive and broader than authorised by the US Congress, essentially creating an immigration blacklist.
“Our clients are long-time, law-abiding residents of the United States who, for years, the government has walled off from becoming citizens and lawful residents of this country without legal authority to do so,” said Jennie Pasquarella, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, which filed the suit in federal court in Los Angeles.
The ACLU said the five plaintiffs were among thousands of US residents of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim or South Asian backgrounds who are similarly being blocked from citizenship, asylum, green cards and visas, without explanation. The plaintiffs include Ahmad and Reem Muhanna, Palestinian Muslims and US legal permanent residents whose 2007 citizenship application was denied in 2012 and is under appeal.
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