Muslim Legal Fund of America
Contacts:
Marium Uddin
(972) 331-9021
Chris Godshall-Bennett
(202) 240-8496
Maria A. Kari
(205) 862-8005
Press inquiries: [email protected]
Website: MLFA.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mr. Jacob “Yaakub” Ira Vijandre Files an Amended Habeas Petition Challenging His Unconstitutional Detention Based on His Protected Political Speech and Expression
WAYCROSS, GA – November 13, 2025 – On November 10, 2025, Mr. Jacob (“Yaakub”) Ira Vijandre, filed a First Amended Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus in the Southern District of Georgia challenging his ongoing imprisonment as a brazen violation of his First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights. [CLICK HERE FOR FULL HABEAS]
Mr. Vijandre, a DACA recipient, freelance journalist and human rights activist, has used his camera and social media platform to document Palestinian rights advocacy and chronicle human-rights activism. He also has been at the forefront of exposing the due process violations, miscarriages of justice, and inhumane prison conditions in cases prosecuted in the “War on Terror,” including Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and the Holy Land Foundation defendants. Today, Mr. Vijandre finds himself a victim of the very governmental overreach and state repression he has long documented.
The amended habeas petition exposes a shocking bond hearing that took place on November 3 during which the government attorney and Immigration Judge Suzette Smikle weaponized Mr. Vijandre’s faith and speech.
During the course of the hearing, Immigration Judge Smikle found that Mr. Vijandre’s social media activity – which included sharing videos of himself teaching martial arts, ‘liking’ Instagram posts of Quranic verses, and sharing footage of an event on Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case held at a Dallas mosque – constitutes proof that Mr. Vijandre “endorses and espouses” terrorism and is a danger to the community and a flight risk.
Mr. Vijandre, who has lived in the United States for 24 years (12 of those years with DACA protection) has deep ties to the United States. His great-grandfather and great-uncle were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their service in the U.S. military during World War II. He has no criminal record and has repeatedly been approved for DACA protection, most recently in May 2024.
Mr. Vijandre’s amended habeas petition must be viewed within the context of this administration’s renewed repression and political targeting of those with dissenting viewpoints on Palestine and U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Following Executive Orders targeting “antisemitic” and “hateful” speech by non-citizens, the Trump administration has weaponized immigration enforcement against Palestinian rights advocates, students, and journalists.
Mr. Vijandre’s amended habeas petition asks the court to:
- Order his immediate release from detention;
- Declare his detention unconstitutional;
- Strike down the “endorse/espouse terrorism” provision as unconstitutionally vague and overbroad; or
- In the alternative, order a constitutionally adequate bond hearing with the burden of proof on the government.
A Front-Row Seat to Xenophobia Masquerading as Justice
Marium Uddin, Legal Director at the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), who attended the November 3rd bond hearing, described the experience as profoundly disturbing: “The judge and prosecutor didn’t just misunderstand Islam, they openly mocked it. When jihad was explained in its true meaning as a struggle – a spiritual and moral striving – they dismissed it and immediately equated it with violence and terrorism. When presented with Arabic calligraphy and an image of a fighter on a horse – imagery rooted in culture and faith – the reaction was not one of curiosity or neutrality but suspicion and xenophobia.”
“What happened in that courtroom was an appalling assault on the Constitution,” said Maria Kari, Human Rights Attorney and Executive Director of Project Taha who also represents Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. “To treat this case as a routine matter of immigration enforcement obscures the essential truth: Mr. Vijandre is being punished for his faith, his speech and his political beliefs. By detaining Mr. Vijandre for his activism and journalism, the United States government is mirroring the tactics it has long criticized abroad: suppressing voices that dare challenge those in power, intimidating journalists, and chilling public debate. Although Mr. Vijandre is the government’s canary in the coal mine, while detained he draws strength from his years documenting the oppression of Muslim prisoners and pro-Palestinian voices.”
“The government is detaining a longtime resident because of his social media posts criticizing and reporting on prison conditions and due process violations. If this constitutes ‘domestic terrorism,’ then who will be jailed next?” said Eric Lee, Partner at Lee & Godshall-Bennett, LLP.
“This isn’t incitement to imminent violence, the legal standard for unprotected speech,” explained Samantha C. Hamilton, Staff Attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. “This is journalism, religious expression, and political opinion. If the government can detain Yaakub for these activities, no non-citizen who speaks out on controversial issues is safe.”
“Detaining a journalist for his beliefs undermines the very democratic freedoms the Constitution was designed to protect,” said Meredyth Yoon, Litigation Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. “This case is about much more than one man; it’s about whether dissenting views can be criminalized.”
“This administration promised to ‘set the [Palestinian rights] movement back 25 or 30 years,’ and they’re making good on that promise by arresting, detaining, and deporting people for their speech,” said Christopher Godshall-Bennett, Partner at Lee & Godshall-Bennett, LLP. “But the Constitution doesn’t allow the government to silence dissent by locking people up.”
CASE INFORMATION:
Jacob Ira Azurin Vijandre v. Kristi Noem, et al., Case No. 5:25-cv-00136-LGW-BWC
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Waycross Division
ABOUT THE LEGAL TEAM:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that works to protect and advance the civil rights of Asian Americans and other underserved communities in the South.
Lee & Godshall-Bennett, LLP, is a civil rights law firm dedicated to challenging government overreach and protecting constitutional freedoms.
The Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) is a nonprofit organization that addresses unwarranted actions towards Muslims, such as immigration denials and detentions, targeted scrutiny of nonprofit work, prisoners denied religious accommodations, unjust prosecutions and unfair trials, and excessive sentences and cruel conditions for prisoners.
Project TAHA is a legal nonprofit that provides low bono and pro bono services to society’s most oppressed and marginalized.
