British PM to ‘look into’ US denial of entry to British Muslims

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office says he will “look into” the cases of British Muslims who were denied permission at the last minute to fly to the United States. The Prime Minister’s statement Wednesday stemmed from a complaint made by a British lawmaker on behalf of a family in her constituency, who were denied […]

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office says he will “look into” the cases of British Muslims who were denied permission at the last minute to fly to the United States.
The Prime Minister’s statement Wednesday stemmed from a complaint made by a British lawmaker on behalf of a family in her constituency, who were denied permission to travel to southern California on December 15. A member of the family of 11 says they were forced to forfeit the value of $13,000 in airfare because they were banned from boarding their plane.
A U.S. government source told Britain’s Sky News that one man in the family had been deemed as prohibited from flying, but all 11 were banned because they had booked their tickets together.
British Parliament member Stella Creasy, who represents northeast London, says she is concerned that a growing number of British Muslim families are being denied entry to the United States with no reason given.
A spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection told VOA religion, faith, or spiritual beliefs of an international traveler are not determining factors about admissibility into the county.
The U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act lists more than 60 grounds of inadmissibility divided into several major categories, including health-related, prior criminal convictions, public charge, documentation requirements, and miscellaneous grounds, the spokesman said. U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump raised international ire earlier this year when he proposed a ban on Muslims traveling to the United States, in response to a mass shooting in California in November.