--- description: An American citizen claimed his unwell mother, a green-card holder, died a day after being turned away from the U.S. under Trump's ban title: Imam Disputes That Woman Died in Iraq Because of Trump's Immigration Ban image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5e3a47c4de72c32/6988b83f86f68e399e6e359b/gettyimages-187591458.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Immigration](/tag/immigration/) ## Immigration Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Imam Disputes That Woman Died in Iraq Because of President Trump's Immigration Ban by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:26 PM CUTPublished: Feb 1, 2017 4:45 AM CUT  Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:26 PM CUTPublished: Feb 1, 2017 4:45 AM CUT A local Imam disputed the [story](http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/232856168-story "undefined") of a former American serviceman who said his sick mother died in Iraq after being barred from entering the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s executive order. Imam Husam Al-Hussainy, leader of the Karbalaa Islamic Educational Center in Dearborn, Mich., said that Mike Hager’s mother died before Trump put the immigration ban in place. The executive order blocks travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq. [Mike Hager told Fox 2 Detroit on Tuesday](http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/232856168-story "undefined") that he had traveled to Iraq before the order was implemented, with several family members who were permanent U.S. residents, when his mother fell ill. None of them expected any trouble on their return; Hager is a U.S. citizen, and his mother has lived in the U.S. since 1995\. She had a green card, Hager told the station. But when they checked in at the airport in Iraq, Hager claimed only he was allowed through. He left his family behind and returned to his home in Michigan. One day later, he told the broadcaster, his mother passed away. TIME published a story based on the initial report. But Fox 2 Detroit [later spoke to Al-Hussainy](http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/233053942-story "undefined"), who disputed the timing of Hager’s account. Al-Hussainy said Hager’s mother was receiving treatment for kidney disease in Michigan before she traveled to Iraq on Jan. 20 to visit family. According to the Imam, she died while in Iraq on Jan. 22, five days before Trump signed the executive order. Hager, the White House and the Iraqi Embassy in the United States all did not respond to requests for comment. \[[_Fox 2 Detroit_](http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/232856168-story "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4656182/trump-ban-woman-died-green-card-immigration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4656182/trump-ban-woman-died-green-card-immigration/"},"headline":"Imam Disputes That Woman Died in Iraq Because of President Trump's Immigration Ban","datePublished":"2017-02-01T04:45:29.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T12:26:56.000Z","description":"Mike Hager claimed his mother died the day after she was stopped at the airport","url":"https://time.com/4656182/trump-ban-woman-died-green-card-immigration/","keywords":["Immigration","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5e3a47c4de72c32/6988b83f86f68e399e6e359b/gettyimages-187591458.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5e3a47c4de72c32/6988b83f86f68e399e6e359b/gettyimages-187591458.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A Green Card lying on an open passport, close-up, full frame","caption":"A Green Card lying on an open passport, close-up, full frame","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/immigration/","name":"Immigration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4656182/trump-ban-woman-died-green-card-immigration/","name":"Imam Disputes That Woman Died in Iraq Because of President Trump's Immigration Ban"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Protestors Rally at JFK Airport as Lawyers Say 'Dozens' Detained Over President Trump’s Immigration Order","description":"Lawyers say dozens of travelers from countries named in President Trump's recent executive order were held at John F. 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