Any kind of criminal court process can be lengthy. In fact, some cases may take years to settle when you factor in appeals or investigations stemming from an initial case or charge. A criminal court case and ruling can also open the door to deportation for individuals. Anyone in Maryland who is involved in a case or investigation that could lead to deportation may want to pay close attention to the recent case of a man who was born in Kuwait.
The man came to the United States in 1975 as the son of refugees from Pakistan. He settled in North Carolina and worked as a professor and also as a member of a think tank regarding topics of concern in the Middle East. In 2003, he was indicted and accused of being a leader of a jihad group.
The man accepted a plea deal and admitted to having helped relatives who had links to a jihad group with benefits retaining to immigration. He would have been deported, but his testimony in a separate case was needed, and he was subpoenaed in that case. The case lingered for five years, and the government could not deport him during that time; however, now that the case has been dropped, he may be cleared for deportation.
Even after a party is found guilty of a charge and set for deportation, being entangled in another case can affect the timeline of that deportation, as was seen with this case. Anyone in Maryland who is part of an investigation of any kind may benefit from knowing how that can impact his or her own immigration status. After a person is ordered to be deported, he or she may also benefit from knowing the timeline and how any other legal wranglings may impact that timeline.
Source: tampabay.com, “Case against Sami Al-Arian dropped, clearing way for deportation“, , June 27, 2014