Sharma Crawford

Lawrence, KS Chemistry Professor, Syed Jamal, Wins Remand from the Board of Immigration Appeals

Kansas City, MO (August 14, 2018) – The Board of Immigration Appeals has agreed with a Lawrence, Kansas Chemistry Professor that he should be given an opportunity to present his deportation case to an Immigration Judge. In its decision, dated Aug. 9, 2018 and received late yesterday, the Board found that “reopening is warranted”. The decision will now allow Mr. Jamal to have an Immigration Judge in Kansas City review his deportation case and any relief he may have.

“This is certainly a wonderful day for Mr. Jamal, his wife and their three children,” said Rekha Sharma-Crawford a principal in Sharma-Crawford Attorneys at Law and Jamal’s lead attorney. “Since the Board of Immigration Appeals remanded the case for a full hearing, Mr. Jamal and his family will now have the opportunity to ask an Immigration Judge to review multiple forms of relief allowed under the law; it is also a good day for the rule of law.”

“The family could not be happier”, said Alan Anderson a shareholder at Polsinelli and a friend of the family. “Syed is part of our community’s fabric and we are all thrilled with the Board’s decision”.

Jamal garnered worldwide attention after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials took into custody of him in front of his children on Jan. 24, 2018. Beloved as a professor, neighbor and friend, his community, outraged by what they were witnessing, and his children, ignited a campaign for his return.

After an Immigration Judge denied his pleas to intervene, Jamal appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals. In the meantime he continued to be held in custody, being flown as far away as Hawaii before the Board issued a stay of removal. Upon return to Kansas City, efforts began, including filing a federal lawsuit, to secure Jamal’s release from detention. Troubled by the Jamal’s treatment, the powerhouse Kansas City law firm Polsinelli joined the fight offering their top litigators to provide pro bono assistance. Finally, on March 20, 2018, after a lengthy hearing, U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark ordered Jamal’s release.

While the case is far from over, the threat of deportation is no longer imminent. The case will return to the Kansas City Immigration Court where an immigration judge will decide the fate of Jamal and his family. The Board’s decision, means that he is now able to seek any relief available under the law. It is also likely, the community and children who propelled Jamal to fame will finally be able to tell a judge what Jamal means to them and why he should not be deported from the United States.

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