KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on a Kansas father fighting efforts by the U.S. to deport him to Bangladesh (all times local):
5:45 p.m.
An attorney for a man living in Kansas who is fighting deportation to Bangladesh says his family and supporters are encouraged that he was returned to Missouri but his ultimate fate is still completely up to federal immigration officials.
Syed Ahmed Jamal, of Lawrence, was housed in the Platte County jail after arriving in Kansas City about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was taken off a plane in Hawaii and sent back after a federal immigration board approved a stay as he battles to remain in the U.S., where he’s lived for 30 years.
His attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, said during a news conference at the jail that immigration officials could agree to allow Jamal to return to Lawrence under orders of supervision until the case is decided, which could take months. She noted he had a job, proper work authorization, a valid Social Security number and a driver’s license, and strong community support so “at this point it makes little sense to keep him detained.”
But she said federal authorities also could decide could keep him in jail, or send him somewhere else.
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3:30 p.m.
Attorneys for a Kansas man fighting deportation to Bangladesh say he has been returned to Missouri.
Rekha Sharma-Crawford, an attorney for 55-year-old Syed Ahmed Jamal, posted on Facebook Wednesday afternoon that he was being held in the Platte County, Missouri, jail, about 25 miles north of Kansas City. The post did not provide any other details.
It’s the latest move in a deportation fight that began Jan. 24, when Jamal was arrested at his home in Lawrence. He was held in Missouri jails until being taken to a detention center in El Paso, Texas. On Monday, immigration officials put him on a plane back to Bangladesh. After a federal judge issued a temporary stay, Jamal was taken off the plane when it stopped to refuel in Hawaii.
Jamal has lived in the U.S. for 30 years with his wife, who is also from Bangladesh, and three children who are U.S. citizens.
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11:30 a.m.
A Kansas father fighting efforts by the U.S. to deport him to Bangladesh is being returned from Honolulu to the Kansas City area.
His attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, posted on Facebook that 55-year-old Syed Ahmed Jamal will return Wednesday afternoon. Family spokesman Alan Anderson says the hope is that he will be allowed to stay with his family under an “order of supervision” while the family fights the matter in the courts. That process could take months.
U.S. immigration officials put Jamal on a plane bound for his native county Monday before an immigration panel granted a temporary stay in the case. Sharma-Crawford said he was taken off the flight when it stopped to refuel in Honolulu.
Kansas Republican U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins has introduced legislation that would make Jamal and his wife lawful permanent residents.
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7:05 a.m.
A Kansas congresswoman has introduced legislation that would help a father who is fighting efforts by the U.S. to deport him to Bangladesh.
The bill that Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins introduced Tuesday would provide for the “relief” of 55-year-old Syed Ahmed Jamal. U.S. immigration officials put Jamal on a plane bound for his native county Monday before an immigration panel granted a temporary stay in the case. His attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, said he was taken off the flight when it stopped to refuel in Honolulu.
Sharma-Crawford says government attorneys have indicated they’re coordinating efforts to bring Jamal to the Kansas City area.
Jamal has lived in the Kansas for 30 years and has worked as an adjunct professor and researcher. Jenkins says her “heart aches” for his wife and children.
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