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Home Land Security Denies Entry to U.S. to Roman Catholic Priest - Action Alert
25-Jul-03
Contact: Robert Younes, M.D.
(301) 983 3022, 301-951-9400
younes@hcef.org
Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF)
Action Alert
Home Land Security Denies Entry to U.S. to Roman Catholic Priest
The co-founder of HCEF, Father Emil Salayta, a Roman Catholic priest who lives in Rome studying to earn a Doctors Degree in Canon Law was denied entry into the United States by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services on July 20, 2003 at the Toronto International Airport. He had a valid Jordanian passport and a valid 5 years multiple entry U.S. Visa. Father Emil has visited the United States on at least 20 occasions in the past at the direction of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Msgr. Michel Sabbah.
His most recent date of entry to the United States was on July 3, 2003 to make contact with Catholic religious officials in the United States and Canada. On Friday, July 18, 2003, he traveled to Toronto on a three day trip from Washington, DC with officials of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation to meet Canadian church officials. On Sunday, July 20, 2003, he went to the Toronto International Airport to fly to Chicago to meet His Beatitude Msgr. Michel Sabbah, Patriarch of Jerusalem and Canon Father Drew Christiansen, Counselor to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He planned to fly to Sioux Falls, SD with these two religious officials as a special guest of His Excellency Bishop Carlson in Sioux Falls.
When he reached the US Immigration Desk, he was asked the usual questions. He told the officer that he had visited Canada on official business for the Catholic Church and that he represented the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He added that he was traveling to Sioux Falls to meet with Bishop Carlson.
He was taken to an interrogation room where he was photographed, fingerprinted, placed under oath, searched and was then interrogated from 11:30 AM to 4:45 PM. He was then denied re-entry into the United States. At present, he remains in Toronto, Canada
Please help us free Father Emil from his Kafkaesque situation. Ask for the following:
1. Allow Father Emil to re-enter the United States
2. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services apologize to Father Emil for his embarrassment and humiliation
Call the Department of Home Land Security - 202-282-8000 Call your Representative and Senators - 202-224-3121
Call the White House - 202-456-1414
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*The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)3 organization, committed to improving the lives of Christians in the Holy Land through building bonds of solidarity between Christians in the United States and in the Holy Land. We have two goals: inform Americans about the Christians in the Holy Land and provide humanitarian assistance for the needy in the land where Jesus Christ was born, preached, died and rose again. HCEF, 6935 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 214, Bethesda, MD 20815 (301) 951-9400, Toll Free (866) 871-4233 (HCEF), www.hcef.org Email: news@hcef.org
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