Mohamed Naser was released from the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia late Tuesday, where he has been held since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained him in Greensboro last month.
An immigrant and refugee from Libya, Naser was legally in the country when he was taken by ICE agents who questioned him about Iran—a country to which he has never been and of which he says he has no knowledge. His only previous legal issues were two dismissed traffic citations.
Naser remained in custody until this week despite an immigration judge granting his release on bond on July 29. On Monday, the Board of Immigration Appeals denied ICE’s motion for a discretionary stay.
Last week, state lawmakers and attorneys held a press conference and protest in downtown Greensboro to call for his release and vow to fight what they called unconstitutional detentions such as Naser’s.
“The only illegal act in this case was Mohamed’s detention,” said Jeremy McKinney, a member of the legal team representing Naser, in a statement Tuesday.
“We celebrate this homecoming,” said McKinney. “But we cannot forget the thousands of people who remain in for-profit detention centers every single day without lawyers, bond money, or public attention.”
Though out on a $20,000 bond for which the community raised money, Naser still faces removal proceedings without a clearly articulated basis.
“Our work continues,” said Helen Parsonage, the lead attorney representing Naser, in a statement. “We will seek every lawful avenue so Mohamed can build his American dream in Greensboro—the city that stood up for him.”
“Mohamed is headed home,” Parsonage said. “Because an entire community— neighbors, clergy, local officials—refused to let his constitutional rights be sidelined.”
Joe Killian is The Assembly’s Greensboro editor. He covered cops, courts, government and politics at Greensboro’s daily paper, The News & Record, for a decade. He joined us from NC Newsline in Raleigh, where he was senior investigative reporter.