Temporary Restraining Order Granted in Ayman Soliman Immigration Case

CLEVELAND – Ayman Soliman’s legal team announces that a federal district judge has issued a Temporary Restraining Order that will prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from moving him out of Ohio, at least until his immigration bond hearing on July 23.

After escaping torture in Egypt due to his journalism, covering events such as the Tahrir Square protests, Maspero demonstrations, the March 19, 2011 constitutional referendum, and the presidential elections in June 2013, Ayman Soliman entered the United States on a B visa in 2014, and later changed status to an R visa. He was eventually granted asylum in 2018 and applied for legal permanent residency to continue his immigration process and reunite with his wife and child. This sparked a years-long, Kafkaesque nightmare that led to his immigration detention in Cincinnati last week, and the nightmare he is living today.

During his years in Ohio, Ayman became known as the “Interfaith Imam,” beloved for his steady presence at the side of ill children, parents, and other caregivers at the world-renowened Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. His work has earned him the love and admiration of hospital staff, parents, patients, and community members. Hundreds have shown up for Ayman in his time of need, after his abrupt arrest during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) appointment in July.

Below, Ayman Soliman’s legal team outlines the steps they have taken and explains key aspects of his legal case.

Why was Mr. Soliman granted asylum?
Mr. Soliman was granted asylum based on past persecution for his work as a journalist in Egypt, reporting on events such as the Tahrir Square protests, Maspero demonstrations, the March 19, 2011 constitutional referendum, and the presidential elections in June 2013.

Has Mr. Soliman been flagged in a terrorism database?
After arriving in the United States, Ayman Soliman obtained an offer to work as a prison chaplain in the Oregon Department of Corrections, so that he could serve the inmates' faith needs. He relocated to Oregon to do just that. Although he accepted the job and the State of Oregon wanted to hire him, he could never begin that work. The FBI placed a still unexplained "flag" on his background profile. The State of Oregon confirmed that his fingerprints did not match any criminal records, and could not explain the flag. Mr. Soliman utilized the only avenue available to him, a traveler's redress complaint, yet received no answers.

He was also frequently stopped and questioned while traveling at airports. His asylum application was approved, but his application for lawful permanent residency was stalled with the U.S. government for years. Mr. Soliman took legal action to obtain more information about the flag and clear his name. He has never been accused of participating in any nefarious activity and has no criminal history. In fact, he has a long record of public service and is a beloved member of the Cincinnati interfaith community.

Immediately after Mr. Soliman was detained by ICE in July 2025, hundreds of people, including caregivers of children who had been patients at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, co-workers, and people of all faith backgrounds, demonstrated their support for Imam Soliman.

Said Franchel D. Daniel, MLFA Immigration Litigation Department Senior Staff Attorney, “The government's tortured attempt at six degrees of separation fails to connect Ayman to any terrorist organization or activity, and an appropriate analysis of the evidence will show that."

What actions has Mr. Soliman taken to clear this up?
Mr. Soliman contacted the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) in 2019, and they filed lawsuits against the TSA and FBI to get him answers and clear his name. Unfortunately, Mr. Soliman’s experience is common for people of Muslim faith and Arabic descent. These lawsuits were his attempt to seek transparency and due process, and hold agencies accountable — not just for himself, but for countless others targeted without reason. The lawsuits are ongoing.

The government has attempted to dismiss them, but the courts have allowed the critical portions of the cases to proceed. Mr. Soliman is challenging systemic abuses of the targeting system and the lack of meaningful redress for those harmed by it.

Why was Mr. Soliman’s asylum status terminated?
In 2024, a U.S. asylum officer took the extremely rare step of initiating the process of terminating Mr. Soliman’s asylum status. Mr. Soliman’s lawyers believe this was in retaliation for the lawsuits Mr. Soliman filed to clear his name. The asylum officer claimed that it was due to his earlier board membership of an organization in his community in Egypt, Al-Jameya al Shareya, also written as Al-Gam’iyya al Shar’iyya. The officer said this amounted to an impermissible act of “material support for terrorism.”

The accusation was astounding. Al-Jameya al Shareya is not a terrorist group. It is a nongovernmental organization that provides medical services and charitable community services. Neither the U.S. government nor the Egyptian government has designated AGS/AJS a terrorist group.

The officer’s reasoning was that, at one point, the Al-Jameya al Shareya had some connection to the national Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which is a century-old international organization with links and ties to most of civil society. The U.S. government has not designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, and has never accused Mr. Soliman of participating in any criminal or terrorist activity.

This information was disclosed and known to the government at the time of Mr. Soliman’s application for asylum. It did not result in a denial of asylum because it is not disqualifying. Years later, after Mr. Soliman stood up for his rights in court, an individual officer decided to take the extreme, unusual, and incorrect decision of terminating his lawful status.

What’s more, Mr. Soliman's need for asylum has not changed. He faces death if forced to return to Egypt.

What is Mr. Soliman’s current immigration status?
Said Robert A. Ratliff, Esq., “Due to the termination of his lawful asylum status, Mr. Soliman currently is returned to the position of a pending asylum applicant. The U.S. government has charged him with a civil immigration violation: overstaying a nonimmigrant visa. The termination of his prior asylum grant requires the initiation of removal (deportation) proceedings against him. His lawyers have filed responses to these charges.”

What motions and applications have been filed after Mr. Soliman’s detention in July?
Lawyers filed a motion for custody redetermination (bond/release from immigration detention) with the Cleveland Immigration Court, housed within the U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review, as well as written pleadings in response to the allegations contained within the Notice to Appear, the government’s charging document issued to compel Mr. Soliman’s appearance in U.S. immigration court.

Mr. Soliman’s attorneys also filed a writ of habeas corpus with a request for a temporary restraining order with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. These additional measures were taken given the unusual nature of the government’s actions against Mr. Soliman, including the stripping of his lawfully-obtained asylum status, unscheduled check-in and joint ICE-FBI interrogation, arrest, and detention.

The federal court filing was intended to prevent his transfer to a detention center far from Mr. Soliman’s lawyers and support network, a tactic the federal government has used in other prominent cases, and one that becomes all the more necessary given the administration’s attempt to systematically end bond hearings in immigration courts nationwide. On July 15, the Temporary Restraining Order was GRANTED through July 23, the date of Mr. Soliman’s bond hearing. A follow-up hearing is scheduled in federal court for July 24.

What happens next in Mr. Soliman’s immigration case?
Robert A. Ratliff, Esq. said, “Mr. Soliman’s Master Calendar (initial appearance) hearing will take place at 1pm on July 22nd and his bond hearing will take place at 8am on July 23, both before Immigration Judge Jennifer Riedthaler-Williams in the Cleveland Immigration Court (801 W. Superior Avenue, Suite 13 - 100, Cleveland).”

He continued, “Due to truncated rights afforded to individuals in civil immigration proceedings, Mr. Soliman will not be given the right to appear at his immigration court hearings in person. He will participate via video feed from the Butler County Jail. The hearing is currently scheduled to be heard via the Court’s online hearing system.”

More information about observing immigration hearings can be found here.

Who are the members of Mr. Soliman’s legal team?

Brennan, Manna, and Diamond, LLC
Robert A. Ratliff, Esq.

Muslim Legal Fund of America
Kathryn H. Brady, MLFA Immigration Litigation Department Head
Franchel D. Daniel, MLFA Immigration Litigation Department Senior Staff Attorney

Law Office of Nazly Mamedova
Nazly Mamedova, Principal
Julia Healy, Associate Attorney

With support from the ACLU of Ohio and Ohio Immigrant Alliance
Freda J. Levenson, Legal Director/Chief Legal Officer, ACLU of Ohio
Amy Gilbert, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU of Ohio
Celina Coming, Chief Public Relations Officer, ACLU of Ohio
Sheila Smith, Senior Public Relations Strategist, ACLU of Ohio
Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director, Ohio Immigrant Alliance