NHL dad from Syria supports travel ban
President Donald Trump’s efforts to halt all visitors from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries elicit a passionate response inside the Pine home of George Saad, a Syrian immigrant.
Just not in the way you might think.
Mr. Saad, who left home at 18 to study engineering at Pitt, is now the 55-year-old father of Columbus Blue Jackets star Brandon Saad and supports Mr. Trump’s recent executive order.
“I guess you can tell that I voted for Trump,” Saad said with a laugh. “But I can’t say I disagree with him.”
George Saad and several of his relatives will be on hand at PPG Paints Arena tonight to watch his son play against the Penguins. Together, George and Brandon Saad have helped dozens of family members flee their war-torn homeland to live in the United States. Achieving the American
dream the way dad did remains a sacred thing for the Saads.
“The opportunities available here are not available anywhere else on the planet,” said George Saad, who owns Richland Properties Inc., a Richland-based development firm.
“I’m glad they’re upping the immigration laws. There’s a legal way to enter the United States; you have to follow the right channels. We’re a country built on laws. Let’s follow the laws.”
The Saads are also a family of hockey fans, even if today they might not necessarily be cheering for the Penguins.
Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr served as Brandon’s role models as he charted a path to the NHL, which has already included a 31-goal season and a pair of Stanley Cup titles.
Brandon’s success also has netted him a contract worth $6 million per year, and he has used part of that to bankroll his family’s own immigration operation.
While George helps family members navigate a legal path to U.S. citizenship and does the bulk of the “legwork,” Brandon pays for such things as flights, temporary housing and living expenses.
Brandon’s financial profile also gives family members a surefire fallback option when it comes to immigrant sponsorship.
They started about five years ago with Syria ravaged by civil war and slowly have brought over brother and sisters, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews and cousins, 24 in total.
“Without [Brandon’s] financial ability, it’s very difficult to sponsor that many people,” George Saad said. “There’s a minimum requirement the United States immigration law will demand from you. I could have sponsored five, six or even 10 people. But I couldn’t sponsor all of our family members. That’s why Brandon stepped in and helped sponsor the rest of the family.
“When you see them doing well, that’s probably the best and most satisfying thing you’ll do in life. Plus, they’re family. You can’t turn your back and ignore them.”
The results have been beyond gratifying, and they’ve created an enclave of Blue Jackets fans here in Pittsburgh.
“You talk to some of these kids now, it’s amazing; if you’re not paying attention, you’d think they were born and raised in this country,” George Saad said.
Brandon Saad, who has 17 goals and 37 points this season for resurgent Columbus, refuses to talk about the five-year process of bringing the bulk of his family here.
For one, Brandon wants zero credit for it. Second, it’s firmly within hockey’s culture to avoid drawing attention to oneself or publicly engaging in any sort of political discourse.
Trump’s executive order halts visitors from seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days and suspends refugee admissions to the United States for 120 days. Critics say the measures unfairly target followers of one religion and will do more to inflame anti-U.S. sentiment, a possible tool for radical groups.
The ban would have affected the Saad family’s immigration plan, had they not already had their family members in place, but George Saad said he would have understood if he was told his relatives would have to wait to escape Syria.
“You would have a 90-day delay,” Saad said. “It’s not the end of the world.
“If it’s going to take 90 days to make this country safer, I wouldn’t mind it. They’re not saying we’re going to shut the doors completely for eternity. They’re saying we’re going to delay it for 90 days until we make sure everybody is following the proper channels.”
The majority of Saad family members who have benefited are between 18-25 years old, George said, with their parents the only exception.
Those adults — George and his wife, Sandy’s, siblings — are math teachers, doctors or nurses.
As for the younger demographic, George Saad believes shooting for careers in fields such engineering and medicine has become infinitely easier without having to worry about the disaster that has occurred in Syria over the past few years.
“If the kids see there’s a future here, they’ll work hard at it,” he said. “It’s tough to think out of the box if you’re worried about just making ends meet.
“You see the smile on these kids’ faces and how their lives have changed and adapted to the American cultures. It is absolutely satisfying in every aspect.”
That crew might not be smiling if the Penguins hold Brandon Saad without a goal tonight.
“We have to root for my son,” Mr. Saad said. “As much as I like the Penguins, I like my son more.”
“If it’s going to take 90 days to make this country safer, I wouldn’t mind it. They’re not saying we’re going to shut the doors completely for eternity. They’re saying we’re going to delay it for 90 days until we make sure everybody is following the proper channels.” -- George Saad