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AAI Joins Congressman Holt to Keep 9/11 Victim’s Family in US

Posted on Thursday February 13, 2003

Washington—Today, Arab American Institute Managing Director Jean AbiNader spoke in support of Rep. Rush Holt’s (NJ-D) effort to gain legal residency for the wife and four daughters of 9-11 victim Waqar Hasan. Mark Anthony Stroman shot the 46-year old father of four in the face in Mr. Hasan’s convenience store in Dallas, Texas on the night of September 15, 2001 “to retaliate on local Arab Americans.” Mr. Hasan came to the United States from Pakistan.

After tragically losing their husband, father and breadwinner, the family now faces deportation. When Mr. Hasan died, his family’s visas died with him as Mrs. Hasan and her four daughters’ visas and green card applications were dependent upon his. Mr. Hasan, in the U.S. on an immigrant visa, had filed a petition with the INS for green cards for himself and his family so that they might stay and eventually become full-fledged Americans.

“The Hassans are the type of industrious, freedom-loving people we want in this country and the type of immigrants who have always given our country strength,” said Rep. Holt.

Given the unique and tragic circumstance of this case, Rep. Holt asked his colleagues in Congress to pass a private relief bill to grant the Hasan family legal permanent residency in the United States. A private relief bill is one that specifically helps one family or individual. It is a rare legislative instrument used only in exceptional cases. Although Rep. Holt helped them receive temporary working permits from the INS, there is no guarantee that the INS will renew those permits indefinitely. Holt’s private relief bill is the Hasan family’s last hope of attaining legal permanent residency.

“I would like to thank Congressman Holt for this important action to remedy a terrible injustice. It’s time to stop this headlong rush to punish every visa violator and make right the status of the Hasan family. We should not punish immigrants who throughout our history have made significant contributions to our society because of the actions of a few. Given the more than 6 million illegal aliens in the US and more than 350,000 absconders, it’s appalling that the system focuses on this one family that is a victim of 9/11 hate crimes. I look forward, at the end of this process, to joining Congressman Holt in saying to the Hasan family, Welcome Home,” said AAI managing director Jean AbiNader.

Without Mr. Hasan’s income, the Hassan family has difficulty paying their bills. Mrs. Hasan and all but her youngest daughter have jobs. Mrs. Hasan works the night shift on an assembly line at a styrofoam cup factory. She finished the night shift at 8:30am, prior to traveling to Washington for today’s briefing. She will return tonight in time to work the evening shift again tonight. Although exhausted from their journey, Mrs. Hasan and her daughters were able to take a few moments and enjoy Congressman Holt’s hospitality and personal tour of the Capitol today.

“This family is only one example of the collateral damage done by new enforcement programs that do not address the human issues that are behind every visa story. This story illustrates how there are unintended consequences to our rush to promote national security at the expense of civil liberties,” AbiNader said.