Tunisian musician seeking green card detained by U.S. Immigration

Tunisian musician seeking green card detained by U.S. Immigration
Credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Rami Othmane, a Tunisian classical Arabic singer married to an American medical officer, was detained by immigration authorities in Los Angeles while in the process of applying for a green card, according to the Associated Press.

Othmane was stopped by immigration agents while driving to a grocery store in Pasadena, according to his wife, Dr. Wafaa Alrashid. Despite presenting a receipt showing he had filed for a green card, he was taken into custody, she said.

“They didn’t care,” Alrashid recalled. “They just said, ‘Please step out of the car,’” as she watched the arrest unfold over FaceTime.

The couple married in March of this year. Alrashid said Othmane has lived in the United States since 2015, performing as a classical Arabic musician. Although he had overstayed his tourist visa, his deportation order was dismissed in 2020, she explained. He began the green card process shortly after their marriage.

Following his arrest, Othmane was taken to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in downtown Los Angeles.

More than a week after his arrest, Alrashid was joined by musicians, immigration advocates, and community activists in a rally outside the Los Angeles ICE facility. Some of Othmane’s colleagues performed Arabic music at the demonstration, hoping the sound would reach detainees inside.

He has since been transferred to a facility in Arizona.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged the expiration of Othmane’s visa but did not address either the dismissal of his previous deportation order or the status of his green card application.

Alrashid is now working to secure bail for her husband while his case is being reviewed.

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