A Palestinian-born activist who spent 10 years in an Israeli prison on a terrorism conviction before moving to the United States and gaining citizenship pleaded guilty on Tuesday to immigration fraud, agreeing to be deported rather than sent to prison.
On Tuesday, April 25, Palestinian icon Rasmea Odeh was joined in Detroit by supporters from across the Midwest at a federal court hearing on a plea agreement reached last month, on a single violation of immigration law. Odeh was later released as part of a prison swap.
In 2015, Odeh was sentenced in the U.S.to 18 months in prison for covering up her conviction and imprisonment in Israel when she entered the country in 1995 and applied for citizenship in 2004, but the conviction was later vacated.
DETROIT (AP) A Chicago Palestinian activist with a decades-old record of bombings in Israel pleaded guilty Tuesday to concealing those convictions when she applied for USA citizenship.
Several other supporters spoke, praising Odeh's dedication to the cause of Palestinian liberation and her consistent support for other movements.
Per an agreement with prosecutors, Odeh will serve no additional jail time in return for her guilty plea.
In her citizenship application and a subsequent interview with an immigration officer, Odeh repeatedly stated she had no criminal history and attested she had never been a member of a terrorist organization.
Nesreen Oscar helped organize the protest in support of Odeh outside of the courthouse before the hearing.
Drain eventually accepted as her guilty plea the words: "The agreement says I am guilty and I signed it".
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January 26, 2002: Soules was found guilty for fighting and noise, as well as an unlawful use of his license, and paid a fine. January 31, 2001: Soules, who was 19 at the time, was found guilty of possession of alcohol while underage and paid a fine.
Deutsch said she does have a Jordanian passport, but she could potentially get a visa to another country.
The case was prosecuted in Detroit because she had entered the US through Detroit and used to live in MI, where her late father once lived and ran a restaurant in Jackson.
"The United States will never be a safe haven for individuals seeking to distance themselves from their pasts", said Steve Francis, special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in Detroit.
As part of the deal, she signed a document acknowledging that "she made the false statements intentionally and not as a result of any mistake, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or any other psychological issue or condition, as she had previously claimed in court proceedings, or for any innocent reason", according to the Justice Department.
A group of over a hundred people showed up in Detroit to support Odeh, many of them being Palestinian.
"I'm out here for the families", Dan Cutler, 65, said.
Odeh has lived in the USA for 22 years and became a citizen in 2004, eventually becoming a prominent figure in an IL social services organization.
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