Mayor’s biography of immigrating here at 17 to work raises a question

Mayor Amer Ghalib poses with President Trump, who nominated Ghalib to be ambassador to Kuwait. In the White House’s biography of Ghalib, it inadvertently raises a question of how he immigrated here. Photo Facebook

By Charles Sercombe
The U.S. State Department’s biography of Mayor Amer Ghalib raises some questions about how he legally immigrated here.
The State Department recently put together a short biography of the mayor in preparation of him being confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the next ambassador to Kuwait.
According to the State Department (and past interviews with the mayor), he came here from Yemen at age 17, apparently alone, and then went to work in a factory, making plastic parts – working 8 to 10 hours a day.
On top of that, he went to Hamtramck High School, from which he graduated in 2000.
It’s an inspiring story of an immigrant coming here and working hard to make a better life – and now, he finds himself being nominated by President Trump to be the ambassador to Kuwait.
Ghalib’s background story raises the question of how he was able to travel here at age 17. Did he have a student visa? Or a visa that allows him to work here?
It’s also unknown when he became a U.S. citizen. A person’s citizenship status is not considered a public record that can be viewed, and it cannot be disclosed by federal agencies.
The Review reached out to Mayor Ghalib for an explanation but, as usual, he did not respond.
As for getting a student visa, according to immigration rules, a student is required to be financially supported or otherwise able to provide for their living expenses. Also, students have to attend a school that is SEVP-certified.
Ghalib has said he graduated from Hamtramck High School, which does not have that certification.
As for a work visa, once again there are specific rules, namely that the person be eligible for an Employment Authorization Document, or EAD (commonly known as a “work permit”).
Ghalib’s immigration history comes at a time when the Trump administration is cracking down on – and deporting — illegal immigrants as well as those who are here legally.
After graduating from high school, Ghalib went on to get a biology degree from Wayne State, and then attended the Ross University School of Medicine in the Caribbean.
It appears Ghalib did not graduate from Ross University, yet a number of people refer to him by the title of Doctor. However, he is a licensed registered nurse in the state of Michigan.
The mayor is credited for galvanizing the support of President Trump among the Arab-American community in the metro area. Trump didn’t forget that favor, and later appointed him to this ambassador candidacy.
Ghalib is in the last year of his term as mayor, and – perhaps assuming he’ll be in Kuwait — is not seeking re-election.
The unknown specific background information could pose a security risk, said Joe Strzalka, who is retired from the State Department (where he handled visa requests, among other duties).
“If he’s not forthcoming, the question will be if a foreign adversary knows and would blackmail him for classified info,” Strzalka told The Review.
“One could imagine a scenario where a Russian or Iranian operative would threaten to expose him if he didn’t provide intel or access to classified info.”
Strzalka is a candidate for city council in the August Primary Election.
Ghalib has said that he went through a background check, especially for financial disclosures, from the Trump administration.
Ghalib is the first Arab and Muslim-American to become mayor of Hamtramck. The city council is now all-male, and all-Muslim – another first, in a community that had long been predominantly populated, and politically controlled, by Polish Americans.
Posted Aug.1, 2025