(COLUMBUS, OH, 3/6/19) – The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Columbus) today announced the filing of a federal lawsuit in Southern District of Ohio against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Attorney General of the United States, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the FBI on behalf of an Iraqi refugee whose green card application has been pending for almost 18 months without adjudication.
The plaintiff in this case has no criminal history and has met all requirements for adjusting his status to that of a lawful permanent resident. He was granted refugee status in America because of the threats he received for working with the United States armed forces in Iraq.
Plaintiff was repeatedly told by USCIS that his case remains in “administrative processing” or that the application is “under review by an officer.” As plaintiff continued to receive this same proforma response to the numerous inquiries he sent to USCIS regarding the status of his application, he contacted the Columbus chapter of CAIR-Ohio for its help in resolving this matter.
The plaintiff and others similarly situated are experiencing this unreasonable delay because “USCIS has been instructed by the administration to ‘rigorously enforce all grounds of inadmissibility and/or denial of immigration benefits’. . .[which] is contributing to USCIS indefinitely delaying applications while they look for any reason to deny, even for minor issues that typically would not result in a denial,” said CAIR-Columbus Legal Director Romin Iqbal.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, requests the Court to order USCIS to immediately issue a decision on the pending application.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Ohio, Columbus Chapter Legal Director Romin Iqbal, 614-451-3232, riqbal@cair.com