Trump Travel Ban Won't Keep Us Safe, Says US Attorney Who Prosecuted Would-Be Bomber

As the United States Attorney for Oregon, Dwight Holton prosecuted Mohamed Mohamud for plotting to set off a bomb at Portland's annual Christmas Tree ceremony at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Mohamud, who was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison, had come to the United States as a child.

On the day after Thanksgiving in 2010, he was arrested by the FBI as he prepared to set off what he thought was an explosive at the tree lighting ceremony.

Despite Mohamud's background — and his conviction — Holton was surprised to see the case referenced in President Trump's new executive order limiting immigration to the United States from six predominantly Muslim countries.

Mohamud, who became a naturalized United States citizen as a child, arrived in Oregon as a 3-year-old from Somalia, one of the countries on the list.

"Recent history shows that some of those who have entered the United States through our immigration system have proved to be threats to our national security," says the executive order.

"A native of Somalia who had been brought to the United States as a child refugee and later became a naturalized United States citizen was sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction as part of a plot to detonate a bomb at a crowded Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon."

Holton, who worked in the Oregon US Attorney's Office from 2004-2011 and ran the office for the last two years, is incredulous.

"His radicalization had precisely nothing to do with his refugee status," Holton said. "He didn't radicalize until much later. His interest in terrorism had absolutely nothing to do with his refugee status.

"He was radicalized long after he became a United States citizen."

Holton points out that refugees actually played a crucial role in the investigation.

"Mohamud's father - who brought him here as a child - actually raised concerns with the FBI about what his son was up to," Holton says. "He was concerned about his son's radicalization. The assistance of the refugee community was crucial to this investigation."

Holton tells Patch that including Mohamud as an example in the executive order is bending the facts to fit a policy instead of developing policy based on facts.

"When you make up connections, you are missing an opportunity to make us safer," he says. "They are not protecting Americans by making stuff up. The real problem with President Trump's fascination with fake threats is that it distracts them from genuine threats - and that puts Americans at greater risk.

"We've seen this movie before - when we lost focus on Al Qaeda for the misadventure in Iraq, we paid the price in lives and resources. Trump's ill informed focus on refugees is distracting the from the real threat all over again."

Photo Colin Miner