Gold Star father Khizr Khan to speak Saturday in Cedar Rapids

Note: Tickets to this event are only available at the door, on a first come, first serve basis.

CEDAR RAPIDS - Khizr Khan, a Gold Star father who was thrust into the national spotlight after delivering a speech during the 2016 Democratic National Convention in which he offered then-presidential nominee Donald Trump a copy of the U.S. Constitution, is to speak in Cedar Rapids Saturday at a community awareness and fundraising dinner for the Council of American-Islamic Relations Iowa Chapter.

The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. at the African American Museum of Iowa, 55 12th Ave. SE. Tickets are $20 and are available at the door, with admission limited to 200 people.

Khan also plans to speak at a Council of American-Islamic Relations event in Des Moines from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. That event, at 1117 42nd St., is free to the public.

Khan and his wife Ghazala are the parents of fallen United States Army Capt. Humayan Khan, who was killed as the result of an explosion in 2004 while serving in Baqubah, Iraq. He received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

In his July 28 speech at the Democratic National Convention, Khan criticized Trump for, among other things, his immigration policies.

'Donald Trump, you're asking Americans to trust you with their future,” Khan said during the speech. 'Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words ‘liberty' and ‘equal protection of law.'” As he spoke, Khan pulled out his copy of the Constitution and held it up.

Trump responded by questioning whether aides for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton scripted Khan's speech and questioned whether Ghazala Khan was allowed to speak. Khan and Trump went on to exchange further criticism, dominating the presidential campaign for several days over the summer.

Khan's name resurfaced in the news this week after he canceled a speech in Canada saying he had been notified his travel privileges were 'under review.”

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol told Reuters it does not contact travelers in advance of their travel outside the United States and that U.S. citizens may travel with a passport. Khan, who was born in Pakistan, is an American citizen. Several news outlets that reached out to Khan for clarification said he declined further comment.

Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday banning citizens from six Muslim-majority nations from traveling to the United States, but Pakistan is not one of those countries and the ban does not apply to U.S. citizens or legal permanent U.S. residents.

- Reuters contributed to this report.

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