Former Children's Hospital Chaplain Detained by ICE

The former chaplain of a children's hospital was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Ohio last week after his asylum status was rescinded. Imam Ayman Soliman applied for asylum more than 10 years ago when he arrived in the US from Egypt, WHIO reports. He was ultimately granted it in 2018, four years after he'd arrived in the country on a temporary visa. He has served as a chaplain at Northwestern University, in the prison system, and at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, WCPO reports. He's listed as a board member for the Islamic Association of Cincinnati as well as the Initiative on Islam and Medicine.

In Egypt, he had been working as a journalist when he says he fled government persecution. "Going back to Egypt for me is a death sentence," he reportedly told a lawmaker. "I didn't come to America seeking a better life. It was escaping death ... from the regime and his supporters." The process of revoking his asylum status actually began before President Trump took office, less than two weeks after a judge allowed a lawsuit he'd filed against a federal agency to proceed. He has filed multiple lawsuits against government agencies claiming he's on federal watchlists even though he has no criminal record. An Ohio lawmaker says Soliman will be allowed to remain in the state while his immigration case proceeds.