Muslim Legal Fund of America
Contacts:
Marium Uddin
(972) 331-9021
Press inquiries: [email protected]
Website: MLFA.org
Dallas, Texas — 10.23.25 — Today, attorneys from the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), joined by co-counsels Isaul Verdin and Hassan Ahmad, appeared before Immigration Judge Abdias Tida for a contested removability hearing in the case of Marwan Marouf, a long-standing community leader from Dallas, Texas.
A contested removability hearing is the point in immigration court where the government must prove that its allegations are legally valid and factually supported. It is not a criminal trial but a civil process, and DHS bears the full burden of proof.
MLFA’s legal team argued that none of the government’s three charges – (1) lack of valid entry document, (2) solicitation of funds for a “Tier III” organization, and (3) “material support” of terrorism – applies to Marwan. They showed that he entered lawfully with valid advance parole authorization, that his charitable work predated the USA PATRIOT Act’s 2001 expansion of terrorism definitions, and that the government has no evidence of any knowing or intentional wrongdoing.
As Attorney Hassan Ahmad explained, “DHS is trying to alchemize a terror case out of thin air—no charge, no conviction, no contemporaneous evidence—just retroactive labels and innuendo. They point to 1990s charitable activity, a post-PATRIOT Act legal framework, and post-2001 designations, then pretend that equals ‘terrorism.’ It doesn’t. Tier-III prongs require actual, contemporaneous knowledge and statutory elements, not guilt by association and a time machine.”
Although the Court sustained all of DHS’s charges, MLFA remains steadfast in its legal strategy. We are now submitting Marwan’s applications for lawful permanent residence and for alternative forms of relief, and we are confident that the law, the facts, and the evidence remain firmly on his side.
MLFA’s arguments presented on Marwan’s behalf in immigration court complement the legal team’s broader strategy and our intent to pursue every available remedy, whether by way of federal habeas litigation or litigation in administrative forums.
The Individual Hearing is scheduled for November 20, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. CT before IJ Abdias Tida. MLFA remains confident that, once the full evidentiary record is presented, the doubts that have been cast over Marwan’s case will be eclipsed and faith in our justice system restored.
We call on community leaders, public officials, and all those who believe in justice to join us in demanding transparency, due process, and dignity for all. We ask those folks who are our supporters and partners to stand with us in ensuring that justice is not selective and that fear does not replace fairness in our immigration system.
ABOUT: We envision an America where constitutional rights and liberties are not mere promises on paper but lived realities, upheld fiercely and equally for everyone, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, or cultural heritage. At MLFA, we champion this vision and mission at the highest levels of our nation’s legal system, relentlessly safeguarding and asserting the rights of American Muslims and their institutions. Our commitment is unyielding as we vigorously challenge injustice within constitutional and national security law at the federal level, empowering our communities to thrive with dignity, resilience, and equal protection under the law.
