Muslim Leader in US for 30 Years Held by ICE As Green Card Denied—Lawyer

Marwan Marouf, a Muslim community leader in Dallas who helped start a local Boy Scout troop and was active in several drug awareness campaigns, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on September 22, moments after his green card was denied, Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), his legal team, said in a press release.

Newsweek reached out to ICE, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), MLFA, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Texas, and the Muslim American Society-Dallas, for comment via email on Wednesday.

Why It Matters

Marouf’s detention comes amid an immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump’s administration, with the president having pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.

Immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation, including green cards and visas, as well as those in the process of obtaining legal status have been detained.

Some people awaiting green cards have reported being apprehended at required immigration interviews. The administration has repeatedly asked that people without proper documentation self-deport. The White House has announced that certain speech might cause green card applicants to face extra scrutiny.

What To Know

On September 22, ICE officials detained Marouf after he dropped his son off at school, the MLFA said in a Tuesday press release. The group has been representing Marouf for over six years in a petition for his permanent legal status.

USCIS reportedly had not informed Marouf of his green card denial, “until the ICE officers who detained him handed him a decision denying his case dated that very same day,” MFLA said.

Marouf came to the U.S. more than 30 years ago as an international student, MLFA said. His then-employer sponsored “temporary work and permanent residence applications for 15 years,” before USCIS began to question some of his charitable activities, MLFA said.

In a Tuesday press release, the legal group highlighted Marouf’s community involvement, stating: “Included in his community service is the significant fact that Brother Marwan helped found Boy Scout Circle 10 District’s largest troop here in North Dallas, has actively promoted multiple drug awareness campaigns to educate youth about the dangers of drug use, volunteers regularly with the Red Cross, and is a Certified Disaster Relief First Responder.”

Marouf was also a member of the Muslim American Society-Dallas and listed as the public relations and fundraising director on its website.

The ICE Activity Tracker shows someone with the name Marwan Marouf is being held at the Blue Bonnet Detention Center, which is three hours from Dallas and was not the site of Wednesday’s shooting in which two people have been confirmed dead.

What People Are Saying

The Muslim American Society-Dallas said in a September 22 press release: “Marwan’s arrest is part of a broader pattern of targeting Muslim, Palestinian, and immigrant communities. Let this injustice fuel our collective commitment to action: advocate, educate, and organize in solidarity, so that we uphold justice, human dignity, and safety in our communities.”

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a previous statement shared with Newsweek: “Under Secretary [Kristi] Noem, we are delivering on President Trump’s and the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe. Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst and carry out the largest deportation operation of criminal aliens in American history.”

CAIR National said in a Wednesday morning X post: “Marwan Marouf, a father, volunteer, and pillar of Dallas’s Muslim community, was suddenly detained by ICE this week after more than 30 years in the U.S. His arrest, which followed increasing government scrutiny of his charitable work, is raising alarm among civil rights advocates. CAIR is closely monitoring this case and joins the call for answers and accountability. No one should be targeted for their faith-based activism or charitable service.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in an X post, referring to the shooting incident in Dallas on Wednesday: “Texas fully supports ICE 100 percent. Both the Texas Dept. of Public Safety & Texas National Guard work closely with ICE. This assassination will NOT slow our arrest, detention, & deportation of illegal immigrants. We will work with ICE & the Dallas Police Dept. to get to the bottom of the assassin’s motive.”

What Happens Next

MFLA has pledged to challenge the situation in both immigration and federal court.