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Two local women to be guests at President Trump's State of the Union address

Posted at 6:35 PM, Jan 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-31 13:42:16-05

They are wives and mothers from West Bloomfield and from Lincoln Park, and they will be attending tonight’s State of the Union address.  They have been on thrust into the spotlight because their families are now on the front lines of the immigration debate.

Nahrain Hamama will be attending the State of the Union address with Congressman Sandy Levin (D-Michigan).  Her husband Sam is one of more than 100 local Iraqi Christians who have been locked up since June.  They’re all facing deportation back to Iraq, Nahrain is hoping to hear some good news from the President about fixing some of our immigration laws.

“Please, please give us a chance to stay as a whole family. Give me the opportunity to walk my daughter down the aisle. Give me the opportunity to make my son grow up to be a man,” said Sam Hamama through tears in July of 2017 during an exclusive jailhouse interview with 7 Investigator Heather Catallo.

Hamama is being held inside St. Clair County Jail.  He entered the US from Iraq legally as a child with his family.  But he now has a deportation order thanks to a conviction for pointing an unloaded gun at another driver during a road rage incident more than 30 years ago

Hamama has been locked up nearly 8 months, leaving his wife to care for their 4 children alone.

“It’s been hard, it’s been hard for a lot of the families that I’m also familiar with – some of them lost their homes, their businesses so it’s been tough.  But thankfully, we’re doing ok.  But we just want Sam home, we need him home.  It’s been really hard on him physically and emotionally. He’s lost 32 lbs,” said Nahrain.   Sam Hamama has heart problems and other medical issues.

Nahrain spoke to 7 Action News via FaceTime from Washington D.C. where she’s getting ready to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address as the guest of Representative Sandy Levin.

“I’m very honored to be invited by Congressman Levin.  I’m here representing all the immigrants and all the detainees and their families.  I’m hoping that they do acknowledge our situation in Michigan, what’s going on to a lot of these detainees – that they should be given a fair trial,” said Nahrain.

The Hamamas are not the only family desperate to bring a loved one home.  So is the Garcia family from Lincoln Park.  Jorge Garcia was deported back to Mexico earlier this month.  He had been brought here as a child and had no criminal record.

Cindy Garcia will be the guest of Congresswoman Debbie Dingell during the President’s speech tonight.

Congresswoman Dingell is working with the Garcia family to try to reunite them.

On Thursday, Sam Hamama will finally get a bond hearing in front of an immigration judge.  Nahrain is hopeful he can return home while his case is sorted out. 

If you have a story for Heather, please email her at hcatallo@wxyz.com or call 248-827-4473