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Saranac snowshoe visa denial
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In January 2017 Tanveer Hussain Parra and Abid Khan, two Muslim athletes from Kashmir, India, was denied a visa to enter the United States to participate in the 25 February 2017 world snowshoe championship at Saranac Lake, New York amid accusations that the visa denial was a result of new Trump administration visa restrictions. Following a public outcry, Hussain's visa was granted. While in Saranac Lake, Hussain was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl. He denied the charges and, after being released on bail, declined a plea deal that would have sent him home because he wanted to clear his name. According to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, a local newspaper in the Saranac area, the "arrest made headlines around the world." Hussein alleged that an Embassy official had told Hussein that the visa was denied because of “current policy.” giving rise to assertions that the denial was a result of President Trump's Executive Order 13769. However, the Embassy stated that the denial was unrelated to re recent Executive Order, but was merely “a standard adjudication based on the merit of the case.” The Mayor of Saranac Lake, Clyde Rabideau, immediately began contacted the town's Representatives and Senators to request assistance in obtaining the visas. A public campaign was mounted that included enlisting children at Saranac Lake Middle School to write letters asking that that Hussein and Kahn be given visas. Public outrage over the visa denials resulted in both men being given visas on February 17 to travel to the snowshoe competition. Senator Schumer cheered the athlete's arrival in New York, posting celebrating the fact that America is "Still a country that welcome athletes from across the globe to compete in our stadiums, our snow-covered fields and everywhere in between." Sexual abuse charges On 1 March 2017 Tanveer Hussain was arrested and charged with felony sexual abuse in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child. According to the Saranac Lake Village Police, Hussain's accuser told police that there was a “passionate kiss” and that Hussain touched her in an intimate area on top of her clothing.
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