He may not be going to jail, but terrorist supporting prof Sami al-Arian may be going somewhere. More to the point, he is likely to be leaving the US on order of the American government.

Al-Arian, 47, remains in jail, where he's been since his February 2003 indictment, while the federal government decides whether to retry him on the deadlocked charges, which include three key counts accusing him of conspiracy to support the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Officials say there is no timetable for a decision.

If the government decides to abandon the remaining charges, it's doubtful Al-Arian will be permitted to return to his previous life in Tampa. He had been a computer engineering professor at the University of South Florida, but was fired after his indictment.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is holding him on an immigration detainer and likely will try to deport him if he's released from jail. The agency can deport any foreign national it deems a terrorism risk and is held to a lower burden of proof than the criminal courts.

Al-Arian was born in Kuwait to Palestinian refugee parents and holds permanent residency status in the United States, where he has lived for three decades. He was raised mostly in Egypt. If he is deported it's not clear where he would be sent.

This guy is definitely an undesirable alien -- and as such, has no claim to stay in the US. Frankly, I don't care where he goes, as long as he never spends another free day in this country which he so clearly despises.

Posted by: Greg at 09:38 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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