'This Country Is Home': Man In Limbo After Executive Immigration Order
By Tom Mustin
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - An Aurora man says he's still in shock over what has happened when his fiancée tried to come to visit him and was instead deported.
"I love this country. This country is home to me," Aurora resident Osman Nasreldin told CBS4's Tom Mustin. "This is not the America I know."
Sunday, his Sudanese fiancée, Sahar, landed in Washington D.C. on her way to Colorado for their wedding.
"I've been waiting for this day since 2011," said Osman.
Sahar is a micro-biologist and had never been to the U.S. She does not speak English. Osman had worked for weeks to make sure her Visa was in order. When she arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., she was detained and deported without explanation.
"When she asked if she could make a phone call to me she was told, 'Don't worry he'll find out on his own, don't worry,'" Osman said.
President Donald Trump's Executive Order on immigration led to massive protests at airports nationwide over the weekend. The order includes a 90-day travel ban on mostly Muslim countries- including Sudan.
Osman,had to pay a $700 fee to get his fiancée back to Sudan. When he finally spoke to her, she was inconsolable.
"I explained to her this is not America. America is way better than that. America is the land of freedom; the land of justice; the land of acceptance-...the land of immigrants."
Osman's family came to Colorado in 2001 from Sudan to start a new life. He graduated from Metro State University in Denver and works as a dental hygienist in Parker.
He says he understands the need for national security, but he believes the executive order unfairly targets innocent people.
Now with his marriage plans on indefinite hold, he is hoping for changes in his adoptive country, "I just hope this ends soon. This is not the way it's supposed to be."
Osman says he has not received any word on when his fiancée can return to the U.S.
CEO's of some of the world's biggest companies including Apple and Ford Motor Company have come out against the ban.
In response to the media outcry Trump said in a written statement, "To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting," "This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe."
Tom Mustin is CBS4's Weekend Anchor. He has been with CBS4 since 2002, and is always looking for great story ideas. Connect with Tom on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TomCBS4.
