Trump administration sued over detention of immigrant children
February 23rd, 20180 NEW YORK — On Tuesday, A New York civil rights group sued Trump administration officials over what it called prolonged detention of immigrant children, blaming recent shifts in U.S. government policy for keeping children locked up without cause. The New York Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court,...
Students protest over gun laws, Trump suggests arming teachers
February 23rd, 20180 WASHINGTON / TALLAHASSEE, FL — Students galvanized by the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school confronted lawmakers on Wednesday with demands to restrict sales of assault rifles, while President Trump suggested arming teachers as a way to stop more rampages. The unprecedented lobbying effort by groups of teenagers and...
How well is Dearborn prepared for a crisis? Students take charge in gun and mental health debate, as officials seek to avert tragedy
February 23rd, 20180 DEARBORN — The sounds of bullet shells discharging from the barrel of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at a high school in Parkland, Florida are still ringing in the ears of students and parents nationwide. After a troubled 19-year-old former student at Stoneman Douglas High School opened fire in the building shortly before the school...
Search committee picks five finalists for president of Henry Ford College, board to select one
February 23rd, 20180 DEARBORN — The selection of Henry Ford College's next president lies in the hands of the seven board members of Dearborn's Board of Education. While the final process is now before the board, it began as a broad effort. Three of the board members, Michael Meade, Hussein Berry and James Thorpe, were tasked with overseeing the...
Lebanese security generals visit Dearborn, exchange community policing and court practices
February 23rd, 20180 DEARBORN – On Thursday, the local Lebanese community held a ceremony honoring three Lebanese generals of the county’s Internal Security Forces at the Greenfield Manor, attended by community leaders as well as city, state and law enforcement officials. General Mohamad Al-Ayoubi, commander of the Beirut Police Department; General...
Yemeni American teacher alleging she was fired because of hijab sues Melvindale schools
February 20th, 20181 MELVINDALE, Mich. — WXYZ Channel 7 reports that a fifth grade teacher could have been forced out because she wears a hijab. A lawsuit was filed last week against Melvindale/Northern Allen Park School District. Amirah Mosed, the teacher, alleges she was mistreated while working at Allendale Elementary School, saying she was...
White House rejects bipartisan Senate immigration plan
February 16th, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the White House rejected a bipartisan Senate proposal to protect young "Dreamer" immigrants and tighten border security, saying it would weaken enforcement of current law and produce a flood of illegal immigration. Ahead of expected Senate votes, the White House said advisers would recommend that...
Federal Appeals Court: Trump travel ban unlawfully discriminates against Muslims
February 16th, 20180 WASHINGTON — President Trump's travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries violates the U.S. Constitution by discriminating on the basis of religion, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday in another legal setback for the policy. The Richmond, Virginia-based Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, on a 9-4 vote,...
Dozens of refugee resettlement offices to close as Trump downsizes program
February 16th, 20180 NEW YORK — Refugee resettlement agencies are preparing to shutter more than 20 offices across the United States and cut back operations in more than 40 others after the State Department told them to pare their operations, according to plans seen by Reuters. The slated closures, which are being reviewed by the State Department for...
Trump budget seeks cuts to domestic programs, Medicare, favors military and wall
February 16th, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump proposed a budget on Monday that calls for cuts in domestic spending and social programs such as Medicare and seeks a sharp increase in military spending and funding for a wall on the Mexican border. While running for president in 2016, Trump pledged to leave popular benefit programs such as...
Asian Americans and the food justice movement in Metro Detroit—adding complexity, making connections
February 16th, 20180 By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang MI Asian "Before it was even called urban gardening, my parents kept a garden in the backyard ever since I was a kid," said Shane Bernardo, a life-long Detroit resident and a consultant, facilitator and speaker actively involved in food justice. "So I learned at a very early age how strongly my family...
State grants Dearborn Industrial Generation approval to increase toxic emissions in the Southend
February 16th, 20180 By Stephen Martin The Arab American News DEARBORN — A recently approved permit called 163-17 and submitted by Dearborn Industrial Generation, LLC (DIG) will allow it to increase its emissions of formaldehyde, a chemical recognized by the National Toxicology Program to be a known human carcinogen. The Air Quality Division of...
Religious leaders question the Pew Research Center’s report on Muslim Americans leaving their faith
February 16th, 20181 By Farah Harb WASHINGTON D.C. — The Pew Research Center issued a report in January stating there are as many Muslims leaving Islam as there are Muslims converting to it, leading two of Dearborn's Muslim leaders to question the report's validity. The Pew Research Center stated in its report that 23 percent of adults who were...
PBS show starring celebrity chef to put Arab community in spotlight
February 16th, 20180 DEARBORN — Metro Detroit's Arab American community will be on display this summer with the launch of a new series on PBS called "No Passport Required", hosted by The Food Network's chef Marcus Samuelsson. The series is slated for six one-hour episodes that follow Samuelsson as he explores communities that reveal the best global...
Property values rising in Detroit
February 9th, 20180 DETROIT — It took more than 15 years, but the city of Detroit experienced its first net increase in residential property values, according to an announcement from the city. The increase suggests that property values are rising as revitalization efforts reach more of Detroit's neighborhoods, officials said. "We think that it's......
Dearborn acknowledges Former Mayor Orville Hubbard’s racism with new plaque
February 9th, 20180 DEARBORN — After much contention from residents and even within the Dearborn Historical Commission, the late Mayor Orville Hubbard's statue has a new plaque that acknowledges his hatred for Blacks. The statue's placement, prominently displayed outside the Dearborn Historical Museum on Brady Street, is already controversial. But just...
Arab American officer saves Huron Township woman
February 9th, 20180 HURON TOWNSHIP — Ahmed Kassem, a Huron Township police officer, was praised Wednesday for using his instincts in finding an abandoned snow blower, which led him to the aid of a resident who had suffered a medical emergency and was stuck in her garage for more than 24 hours. Kassem was on patrol at 2:19 a.m. when he noticed a snow......
New Ford Woods ‘modern aquatic facility’ could cost twice initial estimate
February 9th, 20180 γ By Stephen Martin The Arab American News DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council unanimously approved a plan to spend no more than $4,256,200 on a new pool complex in Ford Woods Park, despite an estimated price tag of about $2 million less on a proposal posted on the city's website last year. Council President Susan Dabaja...
Gov. Snyder appoints Publisher Osama Siblani to the State Officers Compensation Commission
February 9th, 20181 LANSING — On Thursday, Feb. 8, Gov. Snyder announced the appointment of The Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani to the State Officers Compensation Commission. Snyder named Siblani, of West Bloomfield, along with Phyllis Browne of DeWitt, Gerald Hildenbrand of Plainwell and Dan DeGrow of Burtchville. The SOCC is a seven-person...
Trump wants military parade in Washington
February 7th, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump has ordered Pentagon and White House officials to begin planning a military parade in Washington similar to the Bastille Day parade he witnessed in Paris in July, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. At a meeting at the Pentagon on Jan. 18 that included Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint...
Rashida Tlaib seeks Conyers’ seat, would be first Muslim woman in Congress
February 6th, 20180 DETROIT — Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat, has officially thrown her hat in the race for Michigan's 13th congressional district. The seat was left open by longstanding U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Detroit), who retired in December amid sexual harassment allegations. "Serving in the U.S. Congress is about much more than voting on bills,"......
Pollution and southwest Detroit
February 2nd, 20180 By Omar Abdel-Baqui The Latino Press "These particles and chemicals can penetrate our body and enter our bloodstream and wreak havoc on health. We have only recently realized the serious damage PM2.5 can cause." - Guy Williams, president & CEO of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice Residents of southwest Detroit...
Dearborn Heights Commission on Women and Girls holds inaugural meeting
February 2nd, 20180 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Women's activist Dana Mohammad is working to form the Dearborn Heights Commission on Women and Girls. The commission would be the first of its kind in the state, according to Mohammad, who held a meeting at the Caroline Kennedy Library on Jan. 25 to gauge support, brainstorm ideas and raise awareness about the......
Dearborn Heights City Council considers medical marijuana shops
February 2nd, 20180 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — As federal officials and states remain in a tug of war on the legality of marijuana, cities across the nation where the consumption of the drug is permitted on some level are grappling with whether to allow dispensary stores in their neighborhoods. In Dearborn Heights, residents of the largely bedroom community...
Arab Americans undeterred despite failure to get MENA category on 2020 Census
February 2nd, 20180 "Accurate Census information ensures equal opportunity access to public resources, particularly for historically marginalized groups." -ADC DEARBORN — A promising decade-long endeavor by America's most targeted communities to gain political and social leverage hit a roadblock after the U.S. Census Bureau rejected the addition of a......
