Sacramento Refugee Fights for his Freedom From Immigration Detention
Omar Ameen and his family
Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD), Omar Ameen’s immigration removal defense attorneys, is joined by a broad coalition of advocates working to support the release of Omar Ameen, a Sacramento resident originally from Iraq, who was falsely accused of supporting a terrorist organization. On Tuesday, advocates held a press conference to mark Ameen’s 1,000th day in detention. The conference was held in front of the ICE building on the Capitol Mall in Sacramento and centered on calls to release Ameen from federal detention.
Ameen was originally accused of being a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and killing an Iraqi policeman. Ameen was arrested in 2018 in his home in Sacramento and faced extradition to Iraq. The Trump administration used his arrest to perpetuate a narrative that former terrorists were entering the United States as refugees.
Ameen came to the United States in November 2014 after being granted refugee status as a Sunni Muslim who faced persecution if he returned to Iraq. However, in August 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice, at the request of Iraq’s government, arrested Ameen and began extradition proceedings to send him back to Iraq.
Ameen was accused of killing an Iraqi policeman, Abdulhafiz Jasim, in his hometown of Iraq. Ameen, however, disputed this accusation, arguing that he was residing in Turkey at the time. According to the San Francisco Chronicle: “His account was backed by numerous witnesses, by polygraph tests, and by his signature on weekly refugee log books several days before and after the killing, Brennan said. And on the day of the killing, the magistrate said, cell phone towers in his hometown of Mersin, Turkey, recorded two calls from a phone that, according to all available evidence, had never been used by anyone but Ameen.”
After a lengthy legal battle, a U.S. Magistrate judge declined to certify Ameen’s extradition, stating, “the evidence strongly supports that Ameen never left Turkey in June 2014, and the record before the court, taken in its entirety, does not establish probable cause that he was responsible for Jasim’s murder.”
Following this verdict, Ameen was transferred into ICE custody and placed in immigration detention based on the same allegations and evidence presented in his extradition hearing. Advocates have noted that Ameen’s deportation to Iraq will result in his arrest and prosecution, with no possibility of a fair trial. His prosecution would likely result in a death sentence in Iraq. Therefore, advocates are not only fighting to free Ameen from detention but to save his life.
Ameen’s case has earned the support of advocates and community members. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Sacramento City Council members called for Ameen’s release in a letter, saying, “We urge the immediate release of Mr. Ameen and an end to his deportation proceedings. Not only is there no basis for his continued detention or deportation, the false accusations against Mr. Ameen would place him in danger of wrongful execution were he returned to Iraq.”
ILD represents Ameen in his removal proceedings and matters before DHS, including a request for release by ICE. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Siobhan Waldron, an attorney with ILD, argued that ICE “...should release Ameen immediately and drop its case against him. “If ICE continues to prosecute him, Mr. Ameen will continue to fight to save his life,” she said.
Ameen released the following statement from detention to the community. “It has been almost three years since I was woken up and taken away suddenly from the arms of my family. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my wife and children because I was certain it was a mistake and I’d be back the same day. I then spent two years and eight months at Sacramento jail on charges that I am completely innocent of. The judge found me innocent and ordered me to be immediately released, but the immigration police didn’t let me go home the day I won the case on April 21, 2021, and they are detaining me in a faraway location now. My family and I thought I’d get to go home that day. I am so grateful to the judge for listening to all the evidence, and I thank God that in this country, I had the right to defend myself and be found innocent. I love America and want to enjoy living here with my wife and children for the rest of my life. It saddens me that I still have to fight for my freedom again. Please let me go home to my family now so that I can enjoy these last few days of Ramadan with them, break my fast with them, and enjoy my first Eid with my children in over two years.”
While Omar Ameen remains in detention, ILD and other community advocates will continue to bring awareness to his case and support his fight for freedom.
You can take action to support Omar!
Call to Action!
CallDeportation Officer Lo: 661-328-4508
Use the call script below:
“Hi, my name is [name] and I am from/live in [city/county]. I am calling to request the urgent release of Omar Ameen, A#212-734-127. In 2018, the Trump administration instigated and coordinated an Iraqi extradition request for lawfully admitted refugee Omar Ameen, falsely accusing him of being an ISIS commander and murderer. The federal court recently denied the flimsy extradition request in April and instead of reuniting with his family after nearly three years of being unjustly held in total segregation, he was transferred to ICE custody. He should not be separated from his wife, children, and community for a day longer.”
Sign this Petition to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and others in the Biden Administration asking that Omar be released from custody and allowed to live with his family while he fights for his freedom.
Contact your Congressional representatives to demand Omar Ameen’s immediate release from immigration custody. https://act.newmode.net/action/cair-california/freeomarameen
Find out more about his case on Omar’s official website.