At one point, he was presented with a form used to waive legal permanent residency and told me he should waive his green card and apply for a work permit to enter the United States instead. He refused, was hospitalized in the country and is now back in New York. He described the experience as being disappointed and stated that he felt unwelcome.
The Department of Homeland Security did not answer questions about the incident.
Clionaward, 54, another green card holder who lived in Santa Cruz, California, was taken into custody from the age of 12 at San Francisco International Airport on April 21, and returned from a seven-day trip to Dublin. Ward was found guilty in 2007 and 2008 on two felony counts related to drug possession from a brief addiction she experienced, according to her sister Aura Holladay.
Those convictions have been sweeped, Holladay said. This means that after Ward completes his rehabilitation program, the conviction is essentially removed from his criminal history. Her sister described her as a taxpayer legally in the country and part of the community.
Ward's lawyer, Erin Hall, said the US immigration and customs enforcement agencies handling such cases did not provide a criminal record. The agency declined to comment.
Ward has been in custody for a week and there is no date for a hearing in relation to her case.
What travel restrictions did the US enact?
As part of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration agenda, Border Checkpoint has enacted what the White House calls “advanced review.” The measures, including detention and deportation of tourists, have led allies like Germany to update citizen travel advisories for travel to the United States.
