Lawsuit: Dozens of immigrants trying to enter the US coerced into giving up visas and green cards after Trump travel ban

The Virginia lawsuit was filed in a federal court on Sunday on behalf of two Yemeni brothers with valid visas — Tareq Aqel Mohammed Aziz and Ammar Aqel Mohammed Aziz — and "others similarly situated." According to the lawsuit, they were detained by Customs and Border Protection agents at Dulles Airport and "forced to sign"

Trump last Friday signed an executive order barring citizens of Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days while the federal government revisits its screening processes. The order also suspended the US's refugee-admitting program for 120 days, indefinitely barred Syrian refugees from resettling in the US, and gave priority status to minorities fleeing religious persecution.

The Intercept reported on Sunday that the visa terminations began in the days leading up to the official ban and that several visa-holders were charged with violating immigration law even though they had not been informed before boarding their flights that their visas were no longer valid.

The alleged coercion was not isolated to Dulles. Two Iranians with green cards on separate flights from Germany and Qatar to Los Angeles International Airport last weekend were also prompted to sign I-407 forms, an immigration attorney who advised them told Business Insider this week.

The passengers said they contacted their family members for advice after being handed forms to sign that said I-407, according to their attorney. Their families, waiting for them at the airport, were then able to consult with a triage of immigration attorneys on the ground at LAX.

"This was highly, highly unusual," one of the attorneys, Ally Bolour, told Business Insider. "These forms are supposed to be signed in front of a federal officer, not under duress. I've never seen anything like that before, and I've been doing this for 20 years."

Reached for comment, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security directed Business Insider to the "frequently asked questions" section of the DHS website. The spokesman refused to comment on the lawsuit's claims specifically.

A confusing rollout

The forms were handed out as the CBP scrambled to implement the executive order signed by Trump last Friday.

DHS initially interpreted it to mean that green-card holders from the designated countries would still be allowed to enter the US, CNN reported. Green-card holders undergo a lengthy vetting process by the DHS before they are granted permanent US residency.

But the White House overruled that decision by Saturday morning, according to CNN, and green-card holders were detained at airports across the country. Those with valid visas were detained, too — some for as long as 18 hours.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Monday that 109 people were detained or inconvenienced by the immigration order on Saturday. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly updated that figure on Tuesday when pressed about reports that the number had been much higher.

The CBP's acting commissioner, Kevin McAleenan, told reporters on Tuesday that the 109 figure referred to the ban's "initial hours" and that "721 travelers from the affected countries" who had visas to enter the US were denied boarding in their countries of origin.

One Iraqi man had his visa revoked before he could travel to Boston to visit his young son, who was flown there late last year for medical treatment after being severely burned at an Iraqi refugee camp.

Several other people were deported shortly after they landed in the US, including the two Yemeni brothers who were sent back to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after relinquishing their green cards under duress, according to the lawsuit.

"Asylum law requires CBP officers to affirmatively ask if an applicant fears return when placing them into expedited removal," an immigration official told The Intercept. "By pressuring them to simply get on a plane without going into formal removal proceedings, they are violating our obligations under the refugee convention. We are violating international law."

Lawsuit: Dozens of immigrants trying to enter the US coerced into giving up visas and green cards after Trump travel ban

A confusing rollout

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