CHARLES W. DENT CCOMNITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Congress of the United States 7 ‘COMMITTEE ON ETHICS House of Representatives ‘CHAIRMAN Washington, BE 20515-3815 January 30, 2017 Secretary John F. Kelly Department of Homeland Security 301 7th Street SW, Mail Stop 0150 Washington, DC 20528-0150 Dear Secretary Kelly, On 28 January 2017, six Syrian Christians who were traveling to my district were detained at the Philadelphia International Airport and subsequently expelled -- within three hours upon arrival -- from the country without being provided the opportunity to confer with counsel or go through due process. According to the family, all six individuals were holding valid immigrant visas and the paperwork for their green cards was in order at the time of their landing in Philadelphia. It is my understanding that these six individuals were in transit to the United States when President Trump signed his Executive Order and, as such, they should have been allowed to enter the country under the terms of their previously approved visas. The names of the six individuals are: Bassam Abou Asali, Jozfin Alshahaf, Jurjeet Abou Asali, Hassan Abou Asali, Sara Abou Asali, and Mathyo Abou Asali. In light of the actions taken against these individuals, | request that corrective steps be taken as soon as possible to honor their visas and entry into the United States. Further, I request answers to these questions: 1) What is the current status of these six individuals? 2) What is the current status of the visas and green card applications of these six individuals? 3) What was the legal rationale behind the decision to expel these six individuals?4) What corrective actions have been taken thus far to remedy the wrongful expulsion of these six individuals; and what other actions are scheduled to take place to rectify this situation in a timely and just manner? 5) How have the judicial actions and additional agency guidance regarding the Executive Order on “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” impacted the status of the visas of these six individuals? Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Charles W. Dent Member of Congress Fifteenth District, Pennsylvania ce: Donald J. Trump, President of the United States Lori Scialabba, Acting Director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services R. Kevin K. McAleenan, Acting Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection