ICE Busts Former Children’s Hospital Chaplain On FBI Terror Watchlist

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an Egyptian national and former chaplain at a children’s hospital who was flagged on the FBI’s terror watchlist.

Egyptian national Imam Ayman Soliman was arrested by federal immigration enforcement agents Wednesday after the man, whose asylum was revoked under the Biden administration, met with ICE and FBI agents, one report noted.

Soliman, who formerly worked as a chaplain at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and presided over services at a local mosque in the Ohio city, first came to the United States roughly a decade ago and was granted asylum status in 2018. That status, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin says, was revoked under the Biden administration.

The DHS official also noted that Soliman “was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist,” leading to his apprehension on Wednesday.

Court documents indicate that members of Soliman’s family, who were still in Egypt, had filed a request to migrate to the United States to join him.

Some supporters of Soliman say that he was fleeing violence and persecution in his home country and argue that he should not be sent back to Egypt. Even if his fears are found to be credible by the federal government, a recent Supreme Court ruling could enable his deportation to a willing third party country.

The Trump administration deported several illegal aliens, who could not be returned to their home countries, to South Sudan after the African nation agreed to receive deportees from the United States. The deportation operation was swiftly challenged in court, but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration.

The ruling is expected to enable the deportation of thousands of illegal aliens whose home countries are unwilling to accept them, or who have credible fears of torture or persecution if they are returned to their nation of origin.