A Christian family from Syria fled their home country because of religious persecution only to be detained and "treated like criminals" upon their arrival in the United States.
The 32-year-old Christian father, who works as a barber, told The Los Angeles Times that he and his wife and two kids fled Syria after their village came under rocket attacks earlier this year.
He said he previously applied as immigrant to the U.S. as his parents and sister are already there. But they were told that the processing could take years. In May, he decided to sell his land worth $50,000 to a smuggler who helped his family travel to Lebanon, then to Turkey and Brazil.
The family's journey took them to Mexico where they took a taxi to the U.S. border in Nuevo Laredo last month.
They turned themselves in to U.S. authorities hoping that they would be granted asylum.
Before they reached the U.S., he said they were treated well but this drastically changed when they entered the U.S.
"The whole time the family was together, the kids were well and I was watching over them. It was worth it. Then I arrived here and I was shocked by the treatment. I never imagined we would be put in prison, separated, and I would not be able to contact them at all, to watch over my kids," he said.
He is one of a number of Syrian Christians who showed up at the Texas border last month amid the debate on whether Syrian refugees should be allowed into the U.S.
The Christian barber is being held at an immigration detention centre in south Texas. He and another Syrian family arrived at the Laredo border on Nov. 17.
"I expected that we would be interviewed and investigated for some time, but then we would be released," he said.
Some immigrants who arrived in the U.S. are still in detention while others have been released with ankle bracelets.
Two Syrian families and a third Christian family remain in detention and they fear they would not be released in time for Christmas. The women and children are being held at a separate Texas detention facility.
The Syrians remain in detention despite the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has admitted that its officers found "no derogatory information about the individuals."
The governor of Texas is opposing the resettlement of Syrian refugees along with other state governors. They made their opposition known after the Paris terror attacks on Nov. 13. Texas has filed a lawsuit to prevent the entry of Syrian refugees.
The barber told the LA Times that he has talked to his wife and kids by phone.
"We talked about our suffering. We did not expect to be treated like this, like criminals. She was crying most of the time," he said.
He said their sons are not doing well at the detention centre.
"They want their dad," he said.
Last week, the barber's sister was told by immigration officials that the family would be released on Thursday and to buy plane tickets, but this was postponed indefinitely.
"Why can't they let the children be released to their grandparents for Christmas?" he wondered.
