(COLUMBUS, OHIO, 10/3/2018) — 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 Muslim man, Mr. Mohamed Djebbari, who had been a lawful permanent resident of the United States since 2010.
Mr. Djebbari works as a religious teacher in a local Columbus mosque. Even though Mr. Djebbari had no criminal record and had met all requirements of eligibility for receiving his citizenship, his application for citizenship was not adjudicated by USCIS for nearly three years.
Mr. Djebbari made numerous inquiries with USCIS to check on the status of his application. When his issue did not get resolved, he also contacted the office of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown to seek his help in resolving this matter. USCIS informed the office of Senator Brown that they were monitoring the progress of Mr. Djebbari’s case and did not provide any other information.
After waiting for close to three years, Mr. Djebbari contacted the CAIR-Columbus legal department to seek their help in getting his application adjudicated.
“We are pleased to announce that since the filing of our lawsuit, we were able to successfully resolve the delay in adjudication, and our client was officially sworn in as a United States citizen last week,” said CAIR-Columbus Legal Director Romin Iqbal, one of the attorneys who filed the case. “Applicants from Muslim-majority countries are often subjected to lengthy delays in all types of immigration applications because they are viewed with suspicion by USCIS due to their country of origin, travel or other subjective criteria that does not actually bar them from qualifying for the immigration benefit they seek.”
CAIR-Columbus has reported an increase in immigration delays of all types and has filed immigration-related lawsuits for over 43 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.
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CONTACT: CAIR-Columbus Legal Director Romin Iqbal, 614-451-3232, riqbal@cair.com