Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) issued the following statement:
“It’s hard to think of someone more committed to elevating our country’s highest ideals than Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. Since immigrating to the United States over thirty years ago, Mayor Khairullah has contributed to his community, become a U.S. citizen, successfully run for elected office, and is now serving his fifth consecutive term as mayor. He embodies the American dream.
“That’s why I was so profoundly disappointed that Mayor Khairullah — whose effective leadership and passion for public service has made him beloved in New Jersey — would be rejected from entering one of our nation’s more important civic spaces: our White House.
“What makes matters worse and all the more painful was that his invitation was revoked moments before he was set to attend the White House Eid al-Fitr celebration yesterday. To travel to Washington, away from the community he so diligently serves, only to be denied entry in this way adds insult to injury.
“Mayor Khairullah represents the best of our American story and the power of a diverse nation bonded by common ideals. Those ideals include truth and transparency. I believe excluding him was the wrong decision. This incident is not just insulting to our ideals and to Mayor Khairullah but also to the community he serves. The people of Prospect Park, the citizens of New Jersey, the New Jersey Muslim community, and Mayor Khairullah deserve an explanation as to how and why this happened and an apology. I also believe that Mayor Khairullah deserves another opportunity to visit the White House.”