The Columbus, Ohio, chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Columbus) announced today that it has successfully resolved another citizenship delay lawsuit.
The suit, filed in federal court for the Southern District of Ohio, was on behalf of a local female Muslim physician, who immigrated to the United States through her employer and had been a lawful permanent resident since 2011. USCIS initially fingerprinted her twice and scheduled her interview, but then cancelled her interview without explanation in August of 2017. After her interview was cancelled, she was unable to obtain any information as to the status of her application other than it was “pending security checks.”
“We are pleased to announce that since the filing of the lawsuit, we were able to successfully resolve the delay in adjudication, and our client has been officially sworn in as a United States citizen,” said CAIR-Columbus Executive Director Jennifer Nimer, one of the attorneys who filed the case.
“Muslim applicants are often subjected to lengthy delays in all types of immigration applications because they are viewed with suspicion by USCIS because of their country of origin, travel or other subjective criteria that does not actually bar them from qualifying for the immigration benefit they seek. Even despite not having any type of criminal background, they are judged by different standards than non-Muslim applicants, and this is something we will continue to challenge in court,” Nimer added.
CAIR-Columbus has reported an increase in immigration delays of all types and has filed immigration-related lawsuits for over 42 plaintiffs just since the beginning of 2017. The majority of those cases have already been successfully resolved in favor of plaintiffs.
Ohio Muslims who are facing similar delays are being urged to contact CAIR-Columbus for assistance by filing an incident report online at: https://www.cair-ohio.com/
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.
CONTACT: Jennifer Nimer, CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, 614-451-3232, jnimer@cair.com