CAIR-New Jersey on Thursday applauded a federal appeals court after it stopped the deportation of an imam who was born in Palestine and has been in the US for nearly 30 years.
Mohammed Qatanani is an imam in New Jersey who has been fighting a legal battle for exercising his First Amendment rights.
In a statement, the civil rights organisation said: “This victory secures Imam Mohammed Qatanani’s stability for himself, his family, and the communities he has served for decades. It also reinforces a fundamental principle: federal agencies must operate within the boundaries our laws establish.
“No one agency should have the right to upend people’s lives. This ruling sends a powerful message that our legal system will protect religious leaders and immigrant families from overreach.”
In a 2-1 ruling on Tuesday, the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals said that the Board of Immigration Appeals had “exceeded its authority when it attempted to undo Qatanani’s adjustment to Legal Permanent Resident status”.
