FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
President Donald Trump's administration has said that Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry to the United States because of what authorities described as "associations with suspected members of terrorist organizations."
Artan was among 52 match officials selected by FIFA to take part in the World Cup. He arrived in Miami last weekend to join a training camp organized in Florida ahead of the tournament.
In a statement to The New York Times, the arbitrator said he had met all legal requirements for entry into the US.
" I had the right documents " and " the right visa " before traveling to the United States, as well as official accreditation from FIFA as a match official.
According to him, the difficulties began during border control procedures at Miami International Airport. Artan said he was questioned by US authorities for more than 11 hours, before being held in a detention cell and then deported to Istanbul, the city from which he had begun his journey.
After the media outlet "The Athletic" approached the White House about this case, a senior US administration official provided explanations for the decision.
" Following a more detailed check by CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection), compromising information was revealed, including ties to suspected members of terrorist organizations, which makes the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) ," the official stated.
He added that the referee was informed of the official decision to deny entry to US territory.
“ The arbitrator was denied entry and was given immigration forms specifying the section of law used to conduct an expedited removal under the INA. President Trump’s administration will not allow any security threat to enter our country, period ,” the statement said.
No concrete evidence or additional details have been made public regarding the allegations of Artan's alleged links to individuals linked to terrorist organizations. On the other hand, the referee insists that he had the proper documentation and authorizations to participate in the FIFA-organized event in the United States.
Lini një Përgjigje