SOUTHFIELD — On Tuesday, Oct. 14, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) held a news conference in Southfield to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit and petition for a writ of mandamus on behalf of an American Muslim of Yemeni origin who applied to renew his passport and whose application has been pending for more than one year and four months.

A writ of mandamus is an order issued from a court that commands another party to perform an act, the performance of which is required by law.

“The federal government has routinely delayed the processing of passport applications for Muslims of Yemeni origin for an indefinite period of time,” said CAIR-MI staff attorney Lena Masri.  “This lawsuit will challenge the federal government’s unchecked practice of denying these individuals their constitutionally-protected right to travel without affording them their right to due process of law.”

Representatives from the Honorary Consul-General of Yemen and the Yemeni American Public Affairs Council (YAPAC) were also expected to attend the press conference to discuss similar challenges Yemeni Americans have faced with the U.S. State Department.