A Muslim Democratic mayor accused the government of placing him on a discriminatory “watch list” Tuesday after the Secret Service denied him access to the White House with no explanation.
Mohamed Khairullah — who has served as the mayor of Prospect Park, New Jersey, for four terms — was denied access to the White House minutes before he entered the compound on Monday, and was unable to attend President Joe Biden’s celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the mayor said.
The Secret Service refused to reveal the reason for the denial, Khairullah claimed, alleging that he had been unjustly placed on a discriminatory and illegal “secret list.”
“I have no reason to believe that I am an unsafe person to any elected official,” the mayor said at a Tuesday press conference.
“At this point, our crimes are our names, ethnicities and religion and I call on President Biden to correct the injustices of the previous administrations by disbanding this illegal list and correcting ill-advised and racist policies,” Khairullah continued, providing details on previous occasions on which he said he was unjustly detained.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) New Jersey chapter reportedly offered reporters records, which they claimed proved the mayor was on a list, Politico reported. CAIR did not respond to an inquiry from the Daily Caller.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to provide more details about the denial of entry and noted that the Biden administration had hosted nearly 400 Muslim Americans.
“Let me just first say this is under the purview of the Secret Service. What I will say more broadly is that — and I can say this; I was in the room — the President was very proud to welcome nearly 400 Muslim Americans to the White House to celebrate Eid yesterday. It was a meaningful event and opportunity to celebrate along Muslim leaders from across the country who were here — as I said, nearly 400,” she said. (RELATED: An Organization Behind Massive ‘Super Eid’ Muslim Celebration At Minnesota Vikings Stadium Labeled A Terrorist Organization)
The Secret Service issued a statement following Khairullah’s denial, but did not provide details on the reasoning.
Democratic New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker and Democratic New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell drafted a letter demanding the White House and Secret Service publish information on why the mayor was denied entry.