 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Al-Najjar's odyssey a diplomatic debacle
By GRAHAM BRINK and PAUL DE LA GARZA After facing deportation for five years, former University of South Florida instructor Mazen Al-Najjar finally was on his way to the tiny Middle Eastern country of Bahrain.
Finally, on Friday, they all ended up in Italy. What happens next to the stateless Palestinian is uncertain. U.S. government officials, calling the situation a "crisis," likely will do everything they can to keep Al-Najjar from stepping back on American soil. The effort could include heavy diplomatic pressure on several countries, and even renegotiations with Bahrain. The last option would be to return Al-Najjar to Florida and back to solitary confinement in a federal prison. "If the government had its druthers, it would put a parachute on him and drop him over (Bahrain)," said New York City immigration lawyer and former federal prosecutor Michael J. Wildes. "Obviously, they cannot do that." Al-Najjar, jailed for overstaying his student visa and accused of having ties to terrorists, found out last week that he was about to be deported. Soon after Al-Najjar left Tampa via government jet Thursday morning, the kingdom of Bahrain notified him and his American escorts that he would not be welcomed. Everyone aboard was aware of Bahrain's decision before they began to cross the Atlantic. Jamal Rowaie, second secretary at the Embassy of Bahrain in Washington, told the Times on Thursday night that Al-Najjar's deportation by the United States and the publicity his case had generated had influenced Bahrain's decision to renege on the issuance of a two-week visa. Rowaie said he did not know why Bahrain officials would grant Al-Najjar a visa in the first place if they intended to turn him away. U.S. officials also were perplexed by the issuance of a two-week visa. They wondered where he would go after the visa expired. It was not clear why U.S. officials decided to deport Al-Najjar knowing he had such a limited visa. As a result of Bahrain's decision, Al-Najjar and escorts flew to Ireland, where they apparently spent a couple of hours refueling. By then, Al-Najjar was traveling without a visa and probably was not allowed out of the plane. The jet then headed for Rome, where, as of Friday night, Al-Najjar and the U.S. immigration officials remained. Officials said Italian authorities may provide a space at the airport for Al-Najjar and his escorts to rest. Deportations "very rarely" get scuttled with the deportee en route to the country, said Wildes, the New York immigration lawyer. The Immigration and Naturalization Service deported 177,153 people last year, an average of 485 a day. In many cases, INS officers place them on a commercial airline flight and then authorities in the receiving country meet them when the plane lands. In other cases, INS officers accompany them to their destination. "This case is very odd and most sloppy," Wildes said. Al-Najjar's family still wouldn't discuss his whereabouts Friday, saying they wanted to make sure he was safe before they commented on where he was or where he was headed. "It is the hope of the family that he will be able to find a permanent home," said Sami Al-Arian, Al-Najjar's brother-in-law and a tenured USF professor who has also been accused of having ties to terrorism. Al-Arian denies the allegations and has never been charged with a crime. USF officials filed a lawsuit this week asking a judge whether firing Al-Arian would violate his constitutional rights. Born in the Gaza Strip, Al-Najjar moved to the United Arab Emirates before coming to the United States in 1981. He pursued an advanced degree in engineering in North Carolina before moving to Tampa and studying at USF. In 1997, the government jailed him, saying it had classified evidence linking him to the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Najjar, 45, denied the the ties. The government never charged him with a crime. In 1998, an attempt to deport Al-Najjar to Guyana failed after the South American country backed out. He was released from jail in December 2000, after a federal judge ruled his rights were violated by the government's refusal to divulge its evidence so he could mount a defense. Last November, a federal appeals court upheld a deportation order for overstaying the student visa and ordered him back in custody. Since then, he has been in solitary confinement at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. Al-Najjar's wife, Fedaa Al-Najjar, also faces deportation, though she has not been jailed. She, like her husband, has no passport. She and her three children hope to reunite with Al-Najjar after she secures travel documents from Egypt, though there is no guarantee the reunion will take place. "You cannot understand what it is like to have your husband taken away and not know where he will end up," said Fedaa Al-Najjar. On Friday, government lawyers were trying to figure out what would happen if no country accepts Al-Najjar. His immigration status is not clearcut, said Phil Reeker, a State Department spokesman, because he is not a U.S. citizen. The laws surrounding deportation clearly state that the U.S. government can deport someone to any country that will take the person in, Wildes said. The deportee has no say in the matter. In some cases, the government will have an alternate country selected and approved before moving the person. Allan Wernick, an immigration lawyer who has written extensively on the subject, said U.S. Justice and State departments could use diplomatic back channels to find Al-Najjar a home. But he said any brokered deal would require the United States to provide something of value in return. Rowaie, the official from the Bahrain Embassy, did not respond to repeated calls Friday. In the earlier interview, he said Al-Najjar would not be welcomed "because he is a different case" -- not a typical tourist seeking rest and relaxation in Bahrain. Foreigners, including many Palestinians, in Bahrain have risen to prominence in banking and other fields. While sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, they might be reluctant to associate themselves publicly with someone like Al-Najjar who has alleged links to terrorism. "Palestinians are well-integrated here and they don't want to jeopardize their success," said Vahid Mehrinfar, a businessman in Bahrain. -- Times staff writers Anita Kumar, Bill Adair and Susan Taylor Martin contributed to this report. Graham Brink can be reached at (813) 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com. Union intervention sought in Al-Arian lawsuitThe faculty union at the University of South Florida voted Friday to ask state and national labor organizations to intervene in the university's suit against suspended professor Sami Al-Arian. Roy Weatherford, president of USF's faculty union, said the lawsuit sets a bad precedent. Al-Arian, 44, has been under federal investigation for ties to terrorism on and off for years. In February, authorities announced without elaboration that Al-Arian remained under investigation. University officials also believe he has ties to terrorism and took the unusual step this week of filing suit against him in Hillsborough Circuit Court, asking a judge to determine whether firing the tenured computer science professor would violate his constitutional rights. Among the organizations the faculty has asked to intervene in the lawsuit are the Florida Education Association, American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association. Combined, they represent most K-12 teachers and half of the professors in the state.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
