Adna Posted April 3, 2003 salaams to all, Jamal says he trusts courts to clear him BY TODD NELSON Pioneer Press Jailed Somali activist Omar Jamal said Tuesday he trusted the courts to clear him of charges that he broke immigration laws even as new questions about his legal status surfaced. Jamal has been a frequent and outspoken critic of law enforcement treatment of fellow refugees over the past 18 months. On Monday, federal immigration agents arrested him outside his St. Paul home on six counts of making false statements when he applied for asylum five years ago this week in Memphis, Tenn. Contrary to the suspicions some Somalis and other supporters have expressed since his arrest, Jamal said he did not believe the charges stemmed from his high-profile, often confrontational style of activism. He said he intended to resume his work as executive director of the St. Paul-based Somali Justice Advocacy Center as soon as possible. "I deeply trust the system," Jamal said during a telephone interview from the Washington County jail. "They have some serious concerns of my background, which they have a right to do. I think the system will eventually exonerate me. … I am not being targeted because of what I do. They are just doing their job. I am doing my job." Jamal has focused much of his energy recently on decrying federal efforts to deport Somalis convicted of criminal or immigration violations to their lawless homeland, which has been without a central government since civil war broke out in 1991. Such deportations have been on hold across the country since January, when a federal judge in Seattle issued a nationwide ban on removing Somalis at least until their country has a functioning central government. Jamal, 30, declined to discuss his immigration status, saying he was acting on his lawyer's advice. A federal judge in Minneapolis released Jamal after a brief hearing on his criminal case Monday. Agents immediately took him to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Bloomington to face administrative charges for alleged violations of immigration law. According to Department of Justice documents outlining those charges, authorities are seeking to remove Jamal from the United States for violations that include failing to prove how he entered the country. Jamal also allegedly failed to possess valid travel or identity documents when he entered and allegedly sought entry or immigration benefits by fraud, both of which are circumstances that would have made him inadmissible, authorities say in a notice ordering Jamal to appear before an immigration judge. A Somali native who is not a U.S. citizen, Jamal allegedly arrived in Toronto in November 1989, applied for and received refugee status. He allegedly was granted Canadian immigrant status in December 1991. In April 1998, while applying for asylum in Memphis, Jamal allegedly failed to disclose his Canadian immigrant status, according to the notice. At the same time, he also allegedly claimed membership in a clan different from the one identified in paperwork he allegedly submitted to the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board. Authorities also allege Jamal, who has a wife and three children, claimed that he had been admitted to the United States at New York on a tourist visa. "You have not submitted to the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service any document establishing your time, place and manner of entry and INS has no record of your alleged Oct. 20, 1997, admission," the notice alleges. Richard Breitman, a Bloomington-based immigration lawyer, said Jamal's case appears to be an exception to standard practice in at least one instance, Breitman said, saying he had rarely seen authorities pursue criminal charges in addition to administrative charges in such matters. "I've just never seen it in 20 years, to criminally prosecute an asylum applicant," Breitman said. "He's been found to be a person fearing persecution in a country that is very dangerous, particularly for someone like he is, very active politically or publicly as an advocate run ahaan tii aad ayaan uga xumaaday marki aan arkay this artticle ilaahay ha'ufudu deeyo ayaan leeyahay peace out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adna Posted April 3, 2003 Sorry guys it was Monday aa laxiray wiilka so, i jus made a mistake not to day peace Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JIDAAWY Posted April 3, 2003 I have just heard about it tonight, i am so sorry he is arrested. i used to see him on TV quite often, he is one of the few outspoken somali activists, i hope was not set up.. may alaah help him.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyWalker Posted April 3, 2003 so, jamal got arested at last, interesting. you know we should know this country, wa xaa wee ye, hadii uu buukhagi uu bato wax un bay ku gu raadinayaan ay kugu aamusiyaan. those of u life in twin cities know this guy was very active and made allot of noise. when the somali guy got shot in Chicago and Franklin, word of advice: hadii adan sharci ku laheyn dalkan buu khaagi lee haa yaraado.maskiin naqo mel lee fadhiiso they checked papers that he filed fife years ago,and look this "I've just never seen it in 20 years, to criminally prosecute an asylum applicant," this is said by one of the INS employees,and jamal is saing "they are doing their job" what an idiot, they are not doing their job, their hunting your ass foo, who knows this invastigation maybe started almost ayear or so ago,what should i feel bad for him, well iam he is great guys hard working and very active for the somalian ppl,well any i wish him luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiisabiililah Posted April 3, 2003 Google search brings up tons of works http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Jamal+Omar+Minnesota&btnG=Google+Search Latest news about Jamal Omar. http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=Jamal+Omar&btnG=Search+News The dude was the most famous Somali activist in North America for real. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shyhem Posted April 3, 2003 My advice for him is when u get sharci,u don't run around the city appearing on 10 O'clock news challenging the INS,dude take u'r sharci and shut u'r mouth for u'r own sake,unless u'r family has assets in somalia. Anyway i wish him the best. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZOLA Posted April 3, 2003 lol @ shym...i feel the same way ...when u know u have a past ..and it has do with sharci ..then u keep u mouth shut ..he is not the first one that got arrested and not the last one..so my fellow nomads out there with 2 sharci ..watch out and be careful....hope everthing works out for jamal... A.A Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rokko Posted April 3, 2003 LOL...well, I guess this guy messed with the wrong fokz na'mean. I swear i've been hearing or seeing this guy complain bout the Police/imgration and on...so, I guess one day they decided to do some background check on him..na'mean.. ohh well, hope it goess well for him though. Even though we need someone like him but then have limitz namean of when it comes critizising. holla Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SomaliaOnline-President Posted April 3, 2003 Like what happened to the African American activists before him (Murthin Luther King?), the state will always turn the tables against you and make you look like the bad guy. I hope the brother gets out, and continues to expose their brutality against the Somalians in MN. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kool_Kat Posted April 6, 2003 so my fellow nomads out there with 2 sharci ..watch out and be careful.... Malaika, just who are you refering to...hmmmmmmm... I hope everything goes well for this brother...Like so many of you said, if you have something to hide, don't be on the front lines...Isagoo labo sharci leh bal maxaa kuwato inuu isku daadaansado the Police or INS, or anyone with higher authority... Horaa waxaa looyiri "AFDABOOLAN DAHAB"...If he knew his past, he should have kept his mouth SHUT...And that's a capital S_H_U_T!!! But, he is a Somali brother and would hate to see him or his family, specially his children, suffer...Good luck to him and his family... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
