Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who landed in the public sphere with an emotional speech at last year's Democratic National Convention, canceled an appearance in Canada on Monday after he said that his "travel privileges" came under review, according to event organizers.
Khan, who has been an American citizen for more than 30 years, learned Sunday about the review, a statement from event organizer Ramsay Talks said.
It was not immediately clear why the alleged review was launched or what privileges were in question.
Khan was scheduled to speak Tuesday at a luncheon in Toronto on "what we can do about the appalling turn of events in Washington – so that we don't all end up sacrificing everything," according to Ramsay Talks.
"This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me, but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad," Khan said in a statement. "I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future."
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Tickets for the event were about $100, according to Politico. Event organizers said the fees will be refunded.
Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to discuss Khan's statement with news outlets on Monday, citing privacy concerns. However, an unidentified official appeared to contradict the report, telling Reuters that CBP "does not contact travelers in advance of their travel out of the United States ... Any U.S. citizen with a passport may travel out of the country."
"With respect to Global Entry or trusted traveler membership, CBP's engagement is about the status of membership in the program, not any particular travel itself," an unidentified official told Politco. "Of course, any U.S. citizen with a passport may travel without trusted traveler status. All individuals are subject to inspection departing or upon arrival to the United States."
Ramsey Talks announced the cancellation on the same day that President Donald Trump signed a revised travel ban that restricts travel from six Muslim-majority countries.
Khan, who emigrated from Pakistan in 1980, gained national attention when he spoke out about then-Republican presidential nominee Trump's proposed Muslim ban at last year's Democratic National Convention. He shared the story of his son, a Muslim-American U.S. Army captain who died in 2004 while serving in Iraq.
With a pocket U.S. Constitution in one hand and his wife by his side, Khan criticized Trump, calling him ignorant of the concepts of liberty and equal protection of the law.
"Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America," he said. "You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one."
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Capt. Humayun Khan was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He died at 27 when a car filled with explosives detonated at his compound in Iraq and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
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