Donald Trump sued by doctor whose visa was revoked 'for having Muslim prayer app on phone'
Dr Amer al Homssi has been stranded in United Arab Emirates after US officials stopped him from boarding Chicago-bound flight
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump is being sued by a Chicago-based doctor who has been stranded in the Middle East because of the new US president's travel ban.
Dr Amer al Homssi has been stuck in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since Sunday, after US officials prevented him from boarding his flight home.
In a copy of his lawsuit, seen by The Independent, he alleges that he was barred from travelling after they found an Islamic prayer app on his phone.
The 24-year-old, who had travelled to the UAE to get married, is a Syrian citizen but has never lived there and holds residency in the UAE.
He had been living in America under a J-1 student visa while he continued with his medical studies.
His lawsuit, filed at a district court in the US state of Illinois, says that he voluntarily turned over his mobile phone and other personal belongings after he was asked to take part in a secondary screening.
Despite his cooperation, US officials did not let him board his flight, citing Donald Trump's executive order which banned citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations from travelling to the US.
Syria is among the countries whose citizens have been barred from entering America.
His lawsuit alleges that officials then crossed out his visa with black pen and annotated it with: “Cancelled E.O. 59447v.8”.
Dr al Homssi believes he has become “collateral damage” in the President’s “discriminatory” ban.
The "dreadful consequences...are the result of his being a member of the Muslim faith that is now being treated differently in the United States,” the lawsuit says.
Abdulaziz Galadari, a colleague of Dr al Homssi’s, said he was “one of the top students in his class.”
He told The Independent: “He is one of the most hardworking people I had the pleasure to meet. He worked so hard to finish his US licensing exams and with hard work he finally earned a spot in one of the most esteemed residency programs in Chicago,”
If Dr al Homssi’s visa is not reinstated, he could face deportation to Syria, where he has never lived and has not visited for seven years. His UAE passport is dependent on his place in medical school which is now in jeopardy because of the travel ban.
Dr al Homssi’s attorney Thomas Durkin, described his predicament as “classic insanity”.
“It’s just so ignorant and stupid. I don't understand it. I'm just embarrassed that my country would do something like that," he told the NBC7 television station.
The Independent contacted the Trump administration for comment but none had arrived at the time of publication.
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