He waives appeal, to force quick deportation
March 11, 2004
BY TAMARA AUDI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
A Somali man who was ordered deported by a Detroit immigration judge Tuesday night has waived his right to appeal the decision, his lawyer said Wednesday.
The man, Nuradin Abdi, a Columbus, Ohio, resident, was ordered deported after a hearing that was closed because of national security concerns.
Federal officials told the Free Press that Abdi was designated a "special interest" detainee, which means he was being investigated for possible links to terrorism. He has not been charged with terrorism.
Abdi's decision to waive his appeal forces the government to deport him within 90 days. Because Somalia has no central government and does not issue passports, the waiver amounts to a challenge to Detroit immigration authorities to try to carry out the deportation.
"It's a calculated risk," the man's lawyer, Douglas Weigle, said Wednesday.
Abdi's other option, Weigle said, is to wait in jail for four to six months while his appeals are processed. He would likely be deported at the end of that process, Weigle said. Abdi has already been in jail in a secret location for more than three months.
Department of Justice officials, who are the only ones authorized to discuss the case, would not say why they wanted to deport a man they believed had terrorist connections. In the past, immigrants have been accused -- but not charged -- of having links to terrorism, then deported when the accusations faded or failed to appear.
FBI and immigration agents detained Abdi in Columbus, Ohio, where he lived with his wife, two children and an extended family of siblings and cousins.
The issue of deportation to Somalia, in chaos because of civil war, has reached the level of national controversy. The Supreme Court has decided to hear the issue during its next session.
Contact TAMARA AUDI at 313-684-2078 or audi@freepress.com.