Immigration ban: Iraqi interpreter who put own life on line for the US detained at JFK
Updated
The two men at the centre of the legal case which resulted in a federal judge ordering a temporary stay for people with valid visas to stay in the United States have been released from custody.
Hameed Khalid Darweesh and Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi were detained by immigration officials after landing at New York's Kennedy airport Friday night.
Mr Darweesh had worked as an interpreter for the US Army when it invaded Iraq in 2003 and later worked as a contract engineer.
He was granted permission to relocate to the US, but was detained along with another traveller from Iraq after arriving at John F Kennedy Airport following President Trump's immigration order.
The detainment of the two men sparked outrage because Mr Darweesh in particular had helped the US military.
Former deputy assistant secretary for public affairs Brandon Friedman wrote on twitter referring to Mr Darweesh: "Guy literally spent years keeping US soldiers alive in combat in Iraq. He was one of the first to sign up in 2003. He is fearless".
Both men were released Saturday night after their lawyers intervened.
The order was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of the two men. The ACLU case resulted in a federal judge ruling in favour of a temporary stay which allows people with valid visas to remain in the US.
After he was freed Saturday, Mr Darweesh told a waiting crowd that "America is the greatest nation, the greatest people in the world."
"This is the soul of America. This is what pushed me to leave my country and come here," he said.
Mr Darweesh was released due to exemptions in Mr Trump's order that "allow the State and Homeland Security departments to admit individuals on a 'case-by-case' basis."
Two Democratic US Representatives, Nydia Velazquez and Jerrold Nalder, were at the airport trying to get 11 other detainees released.
In their court filing, the lawyers said Mr Alshawi's wife had worked for a US security contractor in Iraq. Members of her family had been killed by insurgents because of their association with the US military.
The Government can exempt foreign nationals from the ban if their entry is deemed in the national interest.
ABC/wires
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Topics: immigration, world-politics, refugees, united-states, iraq
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