Former US serviceman: Trump's Muslim ban caused mum's death

The mother of a former US serviceman died after not being allowed to board a plane to the United States following President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban.

Mike Hager’s 75-year-old mother, an Iraqi citizen who holds a US Green Card, was set to return to the United States from Iraq for medical treatment but was turned away at the airport on Friday. Mike was allowed to return to the UK as he only holds an American nationality.

Hager’s mother, Naimma, who was critically ill, died the day after she was denied access.

“They destroyed us. I went with my family, I came back by myself. They destroyed our family,” Hager told local news station Fox 2 Detroit.

“I was just shocked. I had to put my mum back on the wheelchair and take her back and call the ambulance and she was very, very upset. She knew right there if we send her back to the hospital she’s going to pass away.”

Naimma had lived in the United States since 1995 and had permanent residency status. Mike served in the US military as an interpreter and cultural advisor for US Special Forces. He is a self-proclaimed “Proud American” who has expressed betrayal at the system and has blamed the death of his mother on Trump.

‘Ban all Muslims’

Trump’s election as United States president shook the world, as he was notorious for peddling a hawkish and white supremacist narrative during the 2016 election campaign, in which he pledged to “ban all Muslims”.

Within the first week of his presidency, Trump issued an executive order to ban refugees from the following countries: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya. Further concerns arose after the White House announced the ban will affect citizens of the said nationalities who are also Green Card holders.

Donald Trump posted on his Twitter account that “only” 109 people have been affected by the ban. However, the New York Times reporters who attended the news briefing at the Customs and Border Protection Agency yesterday stated that 721 people had been ushered off planes heading to the United States following the travel ban.

Only 109 people out of 325,000 were detained and held for questioning. Big problems at airports were caused by Delta computer outage,…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 30, 2017