The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the suspect in this morning's attack on a bus and subway station in New York City entered the United States in 2011 through one of the chain migration categories. DHS says Akayed Ullah is a green card holder from Bangladesh and entered the country on an F43 visa.
An F43 visa is issued to a foreign national who is the child of an adult sibling of a U.S. citizen. It falls under the 4th preference of the family preference green card categories, which allows 65,000 green cards each year to be issued to adult siblings and their spouses and children of citizens.
Tyler Houlton, a DHS spokesperson tweeted at 2:17 p.m. today:
.@DHSgov can confirm that the suspect was admitted to the United States after presenting a passport displaying an F43 family immigrant visa in 2011. The suspect is a Lawful Permanent Resident from Bangladesh who benefited from extended family chain migration.
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also made reference to the information during her daily press briefing.
We know and the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the suspect was admitted to the United States after presenting a passport displaying an F-43 family immigrant visa in 2011 and so we know that the President's policy calls for an end to chain migration which is what this individual came to the United States through. If his policy had been in place, then that attacker would not have been allowed into the country. That's why the President has pushed for not one part of immigration policy, but a responsible and total immigration reform. And that's why we have to look at all sectors and do what we can to make sure we're doing everything in our power to protect the American people.
Pres. Trump called on Congress during a rally this weekend in Pensacola, Fla. to end Chain Migration.
