Federal Program Ensnares Thousands of Muslim Immigrants

Mehdi Ostadhassan was at an academic conference when he received a mysterious phone call from the FBI.

The Iranian native had moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 2009 to study petroleum engineering. After marrying an American citizen and becoming an assistant professor at the University of North Dakota, Ostadhassan applied for a green card.

But his interview with an immigration officer in the spring 2014 was abruptly cancelled without explanation. And then, months later, came this call.