DHS Officials Appeal Judge's Decision to Grant Permanent Residency

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has filed an appeal to overturn a federal judge's decision to grant prominent Muslim leader Mohammad Qatanani permanent residency.

Qatanani is the spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Passaic County mosque in New Jersey. According to immigration officials, the DHS claims that Qatanani lied on his permanent residency (green card) application when he failed to disclose that he was arrested and convicted by Israeli authorities while visiting the West Bank in 1993.

The DHS claims Qatanani had ties with Hamas at the time, an organization the United States classifies as a terrorist group. However, Qatanani, who came to the U.S. on a religious visa, fervently denies having ties to the organization and the DHS' claims.

According Qatanani, he said he didn't mention the incident on his application because, although he was detained for three months, the Israeli government never characterized it as a formal arrest and never told him he was convicted.

The DHS filed the appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals within in the Department of Justice. The appeal was filed after an immigration judge in Newark, New Jersey rejected the DHS' accusations on the basis that their claims were weak and based on questionable evidence. The judge granted Qatanani permanent residency.

Qatanani has until January 20th to respond to the DHS' appeal.

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