The Arab American News
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Trump pushes “self-deportation” plan with $3,000 incentive for undocumented migrants
December 25th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to encourage undocumented immigrants to voluntarily “self-deport”, the Trump administration announced on Monday that it is tripling the financial incentive offered to those who choose to leave the United States on their own, increasing the payment from $1,000 to $3,000. The U.S. Department of...
Arab American women entrepreneurs shine at AAWBC NEI pitch competition
December 22nd, 20250 By Claudia Chaalan Dearborn — The Arab American Women’s Business Council (AAWBC) recently hosted its annual New Economic Initiative (NEI) Pitch Competition at the Arab American National Museum, bringing together community leaders, entrepreneurs and supporters for an evening dedicated to celebrating women in business and...
Trump expands U.S. travel ban to include Syria and Palestinian Authority passport holders
December 19th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump expanded the scope of the United States' travel ban on Tuesday, barring entry for citizens of five additional countries, including Syria, as well as holders of Palestinian Authority passports, according to the White House. In a statement, the White House said Trump, who has made tightening...
Dearborn City Council approves salary increases for mayor, Council members and city clerk
December 19th, 20250 DEARBORN — The Dearborn City Council unanimously approved significant salary increases for the mayor and City Council members at its most recent meeting, acting on recommendations from the city’s special Local Officials Compensation Commission (LOCC). Under the new pay structure, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud’s base annual salary will...
Canton police bust counterfeiting ring, arrest three in Detroit raid
December 19th, 20250 CANTON — Last week, following an investigation launched by Canton Township police after noticing an increase in the circulation of counterfeit $100 bills at local businesses, prosecutors said authorities arrested a three-person ring at a Detroit home where the fake currency was allegedly being produced. Arrested were Darrion...
Judge sentences 75-year-old man to 7–15 years for attempted murder of Arab American child
December 19th, 20250 DETROIT — A Wayne County court sentenced a Detroit man to 7 to 15 years in prison for attempting to kill a then-7-year-old Yemeni American child in a Detroit park on October 8, 2024. Gary Lansky, 74, pleaded guilty last month to attempted murder but claimed he suffers from mental illness, a factor that led to a reduced...
Dr. Khalil Choucair joins Karmanos Cancer Institute’s thoracic oncology and clinical trials teams
December 19th, 20250 DETROIT — The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute has appointed Khalil Choucair, M.D., MSc, a medical oncologist, to its Thoracic Oncology and Phase I Clinical Trials Multidisciplinary Teams, strengthening the institute’s expertise in advanced lung and thoracic cancer care. Dr. Choucair began seeing patients in July at Karmanos...
U.S. Senate passes $900B defense budget, includes Syria sanctions repeal
December 19th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate approved the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing a record defense budget exceeding $900 billion, including $400 million to fund weapons for Ukraine and a conditional decision to repeal the stringent Caesar Act sanctions on Syria. The legislation passed the Senate...
Two men sentenced to life for killing jeweler Hussein Murray in his Rochester Hills home
December 12th, 20250 PONTIAC — On Tuesday, an Oakland County Circuit Court judge sentenced two men to life in prison for killing Arab American jeweler Hussein Murray and robbing his Rochester Hills home after posing as DTE gas workers in the fall of 2024. During the sentencing hearing, Carlos Hernandez, 38, and Joshua Zuazo, 40, remained silent as Judge...
Abbas Alawieh announces bid for Michigan’s Second Senate District
December 12th, 20250 DEARBORN — Arab American political activist Abbas Alawieh announced his candidacy for the Michigan State Senate, running as a Democrat in District 2, which includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit. The seat is currently held by Democratic State Senator Sylvia Santana. Michigan’s State Senate elections...
Hamtramck Clerk Rana Faraj sues city officials, alleging retaliation and election misconduct
December 12th, 20250 HAMTRAMCK — In the latest lawsuit brought against the city, suspended City Clerk Rana Faraj has accused city officials of retaliation, defamation, voter intimidation and violating Michigan’s Whistleblower Protection Act — one month after she was placed on paid administrative leave over alleged “interference” in the November...
Dearborn community celebrates Divine Child’s state championship win
December 12th, 20250 Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud joined the victory parade on Monday celebrating Divine Child High School’s state championship win in the 2025 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 4 football season. The Falcons of the private, Catholic Divine Child High School achieved their first state title since 1985 after...
Judge declines to block Michigan’s new 24 percent marijuana wholesale tax as the MiCIA vows appeal
December 12th, 20250 LANSING — In early October, Governor Whitmer and state lawmakers turned to the state’s booming marijuana industry as a way to finalize the state budget and avert a government shutdown, approving a steep new wholesale tax on marijuana sales beginning in early 2026. The tax is intended to generate new revenue for repairing Michigan’s...
Resilient Neighborhoods: Community land trusts: “We’re rising from the ashes, and this is our vehicle.”
December 5th, 20250 By Genevieve Fox A community land trust (CLT) is a type of community ownership model where the community stewards land in perpetuity for the common good of those who live there, said GenesisHOPE Executive Director Jeanine Hatcher. GenesisHOPE is a nonprofit that strives to improve equity through community health and development,...
Hamtramck mayoral recount confirms Alharbi’s win as Mahmood presses legal fight over disputed ballots
December 5th, 20250 DETROIT – Although the hand recount in the Hamtramck mayoral race did not deliver the result hoped for by Bangladeshi American candidate Muhith Mahmood, the City Council member remains determined to continue his effort to overturn the outcome. Mahmood is urging the courts to count 37 absentee ballots that Wayne County election......
Trump calls Somali immigrants “garbage”: “I don’t want them in our country; they should go back where they came from”
December 5th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In highly hostile and openly racist remarks directed at immigrants of Somali origin, President Trump said during a lengthy administration meeting on Tuesday that he does not want any more Somali immigrants in the United States, claiming Somali Americans “do not contribute anything” and that “about 88 percent...
Michigan officials issue safety and environmental guidelines for snow and ice removal
December 5th, 20250 With the snowstorm that struck Michigan last week, local authorities across the state issued a series of guidelines to help residents avoid accidents caused by frost and ice buildup. Officials urged homeowners and business owners to follow local snow removal ordinances to avoid fines and protect pedestrians from slip-and-fall injuries,......
U of M deploys AI traffic signal system to ease congestion across Metro Detroit
December 5th, 20250 ANN ARBOR – Artificial intelligence may soon be managing traffic flow on major roads, as the University of Michigan prepares to deploy an innovative system that will adjust traffic lights at 40 key intersections across the Metro Detroit region in the coming months. The new system uses AI technology and GPS data to determine and...
Chaldean American leader Nabby Yono dies at 75
November 30th, 20250 SOUTHFIELD — The Chaldean Iraqi American community in Metro Detroit has lost one of its prominent figures with the passing of businessman and community leader Nabby Yono, who died on November 21, at the age of 75. According to the family’s obituary, Yono was, “a loving husband, father and proud grandfather. He was born in Basra,...
Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkey and Lebanon on first foreign trip, focused on peace and unity
November 30th, 20250 Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip, to Turkey and Lebanon, will be packed with opportunities to advance relations with two of the Catholic Church’s top priorities: Orthodox Christians and Muslims. It will also give history’s first American pope the spotlight to speak in broader terms about peace in the Middle East in languages...Three men convicted in deadly robbery of Hassan Salame outside Dearborn restaurant
DETROIT — On Tuesday, a Wayne County jury convicted three men on all charges in the September 2023 killing of Hassan Salame, a 29-year-old Arab American business owner from Dearborn, who was fatally shot during a robbery outside Xushi Ko restaurant in East Dearborn. The incident occurred late on Sept. 19, 2023, shortly after Salame......
Six votes trigger Hamtramck mayoral recount between Mahmood and Alharbi
November 27th, 20250 HAMTRAMCK – The Wayne County Board of Canvassers voted on Tuesday to authorize a recount in the Hamtramck mayoral election, at the request of City Councilman Muhith Mahmood, who lost by just six votes. The recount is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Wayne County Clerk’s Office. Five teams of two people...
Lebanese Consulate in Detroit invites community to celebrate Independence Day
November 22nd, 20250 DEARBORN – In cooperation with Lebanese community organizations across Michigan, the Consulate General of Lebanon in Detroit will host an official celebration marking the 82nd anniversary of Lebanon’s Independence Day on Tuesday, November 25, at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center in Dearborn. Community event returns after years of......
Poll: Trump’s approval rating falls to lowest of his term over prices and the Epstein files
November 22nd, 20250 President Trump's approval rating has fallen to its lowest in his second term, largely due to discontent with the economy and his ties to notorious pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, which lasted four days and ended on Monday, saw Trump's approval rating fall to 38 percent. On Tuesday, the...
Osama Siblani: Lebanese Americans are rising in U.S. politics, Lebanon must recognize its power
November 22nd, 20251 In an extensive political appearance on Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV channel, as part of the program Al-Hadath, journalist and anchor Samar Abu Khalil hosted Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News and president of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC), in an episode that aired Sunday, November 16. The discussion......
