Syrian film worker barred

US immigration authorities are barring entry to a 21-year-old Syrian cinematographer who worked on a harrowing film about his nation’s civil war, The White Helmets, that has been nominated for an Academy Award.

According to internal Trump administration correspondence seen by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security has decided at the last minute to block Khaled Khateeb from travelling to Los Angeles for the Oscars.

Khateeb was scheduled to arrive Saturday in Los Angeles from Istanbul, but his plans have been upended after US officials reported finding “derogatory information” regarding Khateeb.

Derogatory information is a broad category that can include anything from terror connections to passport irregularities.

Asked for comment, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said, “A valid travel document is required for travel to the United States.”

The White Helmets, a 40-minute Netflix documentary, has been nominated for Best Documentary Short.

The film focuses on the rescue workers who risk their lives to save Syrians affected by civil war. Many of the group’s members have been killed by President Bashar Assad’s Air Force. The group also was nominated for last year’s Nobel Peace Prize.