WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is requesting background information on Akayed Ullah, the Bangladeshi immigrant who yesterday detonated an improvised explosive device near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City injuring five.
Ullah benefitted from the controversial immigration occurrence known as chain migration. He received a visa based on his indirect familial connection to a U.S. citizen and not based on his skills or potential economic contribution to the U.S. At 20 years old, Ullah immigrated to the United States on an F-43 Family Immigrant visa, a derivative category meant to benefit children of F-41 visa beneficiaries. His mother, the sibling of a U.S. citizen, immigrated to the U.S. on an F-41 visa.
In his letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, Grassley requests the full immigration history of Ullah, records of Ullah’s criminal background, if there are any, or placement on any terrorism watch-lists, if applicable, and any visas held by, applied for or revoked from Ullah.
Full text of Grassley’s letter
