North Texas Muslim community leader Marwan Marouf will be removed from the U.S. after an immigration judge on Thursday denied his request for voluntary departure.
In denying his request, Judge Abdias E. Tida cited donations Marouf made to the Holy Land Foundation, a nonprofit in the U.S. that was designated a terrorist organization by DHS following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
The request for voluntary departure comes as attorneys for Marouf say he is facing immediate health risks.
KERA reached out to Marouf's attorneys and will update this story with any response.
Marouf, a longtime public relations and fundraising director for the Muslim-American Society in Dallas, has been in ICE custody since September.
He was initially charged with overstaying his visa. But in recent weeks, the Department of Homeland Security charged Marouf with soliciting funds for a terrorist organization.
During Thursday's hearing, attorneys for Marouf asked Judge Abdias E. Tida to allow him to receive post-conclusion voluntary departure instead of a standard removal order.
This would have allowed Marouf to remain in the U.S. up to 60 days following his release from custody and reapply for lawful entry back into the U.S. from Jordan, where he maintains citizenship. Attorneys say it would also allow for Marouf to address his cardiac condition Brugada syndrome sooner.
But Tida did not grant Marouf voluntary departure, finding Marouf both ineligible under federal law and that he did not merit of such relief as a matter of discretion.
"The court finds that even if the respondent were statutorily eligible, the court finds that he does not merit discretion, irrespective of any positive equities that he may have exhibited are considering the gravity of the evidence in the record," Tida said.
Marouf's attorneys told Tida they will not be seeking an appeal, citing the urgency of his health concerns. They did ask the judge to order DHS to expedite his deportation on the same grounds.
However, Tida denied the request saying he did not have the authority to do so.
"While I empathize deeply with the situation, my hands are tied," Tida said. "Based on the nature of the charges and the statutory limitations before me, I cannot grant voluntary departure. While I understand the medical concerns, the court is bound by the regulatory framework."
Marouf will be deported to Jordan within two weeks, according to DHS, but no set date was provided.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org.
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