A Muslim family from Metro Detroit is calling out the U.S. government for breaking them up.
Now, they’re taking their battle to be reunited all the way to federal court. Because of our country’s “no-fly” list, they say they are devastated and their father can no longer see his children.
“It’s very hard to get children to understand what’s going on in the world. Like, why this is happening to their dad,” says mother Mariam Ghaedar. She adds “Apart from us it’s affecting a lot of people. Like I’ve met a lot of kids in my daughter’s school that their parents also got deported.”
37-year-old Khaled El-Ali is a father of two children ages 14 and 11. He’s been visiting metro Detroit for years until recently.
“His kids have been required to go see him in Belgium now. They are U.S. citizens and live in Michigan. However, when they go see their father and come back they are interrogated for hours on end,” says CAIR Michigan Attorney Amy Doukoure.
The family says they haven’t been given an explanation for this situation and their father is not a danger to anyone.
“It’s clear this list unconstitutionally targets Muslims,” says their attorney.
The family is not the only one on the new lawsuit. We’ve learned families all over the county that are hoping their loved ones can come back as well.
