A man who claimed his mother died in Iraq after being barred from returning to the United States under President Trump's travel ban lied about the timing of the death, according to the leader of a mosque in Dearborn, Mich.
Imam Husham Al-Hussainy of Dearborn told FOX 2 of Detroit that local business owner Mike Hager's mother passed away before the ban was implemented.
According to Al-Hussainy, Hager's mother had kidney disease and was receiving treatment in Michigan–where she lived–before traveling to Iraq to visit family. The Imam said she passed away on January 22, 2017, five days before President Trump instituted the travel ban.
Hager had reportedly told FOX 2 that his mother was stopped from returning to the U.S. for medical treatment after visiting her in Iraq, causing his mother to pass away while he returned to America. Hager said he was traveling with a niece, two nephews, and his mother, 75, all of whom held green cards.
Hager had blamed President Trump for the death of his mother, claiming that had she not been held in her home country she would have survived.
FOX 2 reached out to Hager for comment but was not been able to reach him.