A man with dual Canadian-Pakistani citizenship has been detained in the U.S. for allegedly circumventing export control laws.
Mohammad Jawaid Aziz, also known as Jawaid Aziz Siddiqui and Jay Siddiqui, 67, was arrested on March 21 in Washington state after attempting to cross into the U.S. using the Peace Arch B.C. border crossing.
Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer based in Blaine, Wash., said Aziz contacted him about eight years ago with questions about admissibility to the United States.
He then met Aziz in 2022 at Peace Arch Park at the Peace Arch border crossing.
“We talked about admissibility to the United States. I don’t remember the exact details, but he did have some concerns about entering the United States and then I never heard back from him,” Saunders told Global News.
Story continues below advertisement
He added that Aziz is in federal detention, which is located in SeaTac.
“That’s serious federal crimes,” Saunders said.
“I’ve been practicing U.S. immigration law in Blaine for 25 years and this is …