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.
December
11, 2017
VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
The Honorable Kirstjen M.
Nielsen The Honorable Rex Tillerson
Secretary Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20528 Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Secretary Nielsen and
Secretary Tillerson:
Earlier today, a man wearing an
“improvised low-tech explosive device” similar to a pipe bomb detonated the
explosive at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, a busy transit hub near Times
Square in New York City.
[1] Law enforcement have identified the
suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi immigrant who received a
green card and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
[2] According to
authorities, the suspect’s device, held together by Velcro and zip ties, prematurely
exploded injuring himself and three victims, all of whom are being treated for
injuries at nearby hospitals.
[3] Reportedly, Ullah told law
enforcement that he committed the act in the name of ISIS.
[4]
According to press reports,
Ullah was 20 years old when his uncle, a U.S. citizen, petitioned for Ullah’s
mother to receive a derivative visa as a sister of a U.S. citizen or lawful
permanent resident.
[5] Ullah was subsequently allowed to emigrate as a child
of a sister of a U.S. citizen benefiting from a controversial immigration
occurrence known as chain migration. Therefore, Ullah, as a child of the
principal applicant, was also allowed to receive derivative status and a green
card, which he used to emigrate from Bangladesh in 2011. If these sources are
correct, this further highlights the need to consider whether our country is
best served by a family, non-skills based legal immigration system.
To better
understand what motivated this act of terror, please provide numbered written
responses to the following questions no later than December 18, 2017:
Department of Homeland Security:
1.
Please
provide a list of all A-files, executive summaries, or receipt files with TECs
hits for terrorism that have been requested from the Department of Homeland
Security in furtherance of the investigation into the New York City terrorist
attack including any information on Akayed Ullah.
2.
Did
Akayed Ullah have any criminal convictions? Please explain and provide all
relevant documentation.
3.
Was
Akayed Ullah on any terrorist watch lists? If so, which lists and which dates
was he on the lists?
Department of State:
4.
Please
provide all visa records and associated documentation for Akayed Ullah.
a.
Did
Akayed Ullah apply for any U.S. visa? If the answer is yes, what category of
visa was sought? Which embassy or consulate did he submit the application to?
If the visa was denied, what was the basis for denial?
b.
c.
Please
provide the visa category and validity period for any and all previous visas
issued to Akayed Ullah.
d.
Please
provide the dates of application submission and the basis of denial for any
past visa applications submitted by Akayed Ullah, along with any associated
documentation, case or interview notes, or other related information.
e.
Has
Akayed Ullah ever been in possession of a U.S. visa that was later revoked? If
so, please provide any information that supported the decision for revocation.
f.
Was
Akayed Ullah subjected to any additional administrative processing associated
with any visa application? Please explain and provide all documentation
uncovered, or created, as a result of such additional processing.
g.
Please
provide a timeline for all applications or petitions for immigrant and/or
non-immigrant visas.
Thank you for your attention to
this important matter. Should you have any questions, please contact Katherine
Nikas of my Committee staff at (202) 224-5225.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
Chairman
Senate Committee on the
Judiciary
cc:
The Honorable
Dianne Feinstein
Ranking Member
Senate Committee on the
Judiciary
The Honorable Christopher Wray
Director
The Federal
Bureau of Investigation
Washington, D.C. 20535
-30-
[1] Melanie Grayce West,
Suspect in
Custody in New York’s Port Authority Explosion, The Wall Street Journal,
available at
https://www.wsj.com/articles/explosion-reported-at-new-yorks-port-authority-1512997695
[2] http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/12/11/port-authority-terror-suspect/
[3]
Eliott C. McLaughlin,
New York explosion: Man Detonates Pipe Bomb in
‘Attempted Terrorist Attack,’ Officials Say, CNN News, available at
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/new-york-possible-explosion-port-authority-subway/index.html; Aaron Katersky, Emily Shapiro,
M.L. Niestel,
Explosive Detonates Near New York City’s Times Square in
‘Attempted Terrorist Attack,’ Suspect in Custody, ABC News, available at
http://abcnews.go.com/US/nyc-police-respond-reports-explosion-port-authority-bus/story?id=51714989
[4]
Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, and Tracy Connor,
NYC Blast Suspect Akayed
Ullah Aimed to Avenge Muslim Deaths, Source Says, NBC NEWS, available at
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/akayed-ullah-nyc-explosion-suspect-identified-27-year-old-brooklyn-n828361