New York Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand helped pulled strings to help an Indian national reenter the U.S. after Trump’s immigration order, but police charged the man with sexual abuse of minor just weeks later.
In a story first reported by The Adirondack Daily Enterprise, law enforcement in Saranac, New York, charged Tanveer Hussain Wednesday with first-degree sexual abuse, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
In a statement issued Friday morning, police said the charges came from Hussain “engaging in a passionate kiss” with a 12-year-old victim.
“He further was accused of touching her in an intimate area over her clothing,” the statement reads. “There was no accusation of force. The charges are a result of the age differences of the individuals. There were no other allegations made against Hussain.”
Hussain’s friend Abid Khan disputed the girl’s story, calling her a “nut case” and claimed that the 12-year-old followed Hussain around.
“We’re confident in our investigation and the results of it,” police said of Khan’s claims. “There were other witnesses. Social media was involved. There’s evidence that supports the charges.”
The Enterprise notes that Hussain and Khan, both snowshoe competitors, became local celebrities just three weeks ago when the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi rejected their visa applications after Trump’s immigration order went into effect, apparently believing the two may not return home because of a lack of “strong ties” to their home country.
Saranac Village Mayor Clyde Rabideau met the two at last year’s snowshoe championships in Italy and invited them to come to the small town. He reportedly asked for the help of both Schumer and Gillibrand.
Additionally, seventh-graders from Saranac Lake Middle School wrote letters to the New York senators on the Indians’ behalf.
Eventually, Gillibrand and Schumer contacted the embassy, which enabled the men to resubmit for their visa applications, which were later approved.
Schumer and Gillibrand both blasted Trump’s immigration order when it was first released, saying it was unfairly targeting Muslims and it would not make Americans safe.
“I think this executive order is so bad and so poisoned, and its genesis is so bad and terrible, that he ought to just throw it in the trash can, and for two reasons. It doesn’t really make us safer. It doesn’t focus on the areas where we really need to tighten up. They are, number one, on lone wolves. The last two major terrorist incidents in America didn’t occur through immigrants,” Schumer said on CBS Face the Nation.
Gillibrand called the order a “rejection of who we are as Americans.”
Hussain and Khan had planned to return to India Friday, but Hussain’s legal troubles have now delayed that trip. He is now behind bars on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond. A preliminary hearing on his case is set for 1 p.m. Monday.