10/29/25 Reposted from breakthroughnews.org
Marwan Marouf, a Palestinian American community leader In Dallas, faces deportation by ICE, which has accused him of potential ties to terrorism. His crime? Fiscal sponsorship of an orphan in Palestine.
Marouf, who serves as director of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Muslim-American Society, was put in handcuffs and escorted into an unmarked SUV on September 22. After dropping his son off at school, seven ICE vehicles surrounded Marouf and took him into custody.
After arriving in the United States over 30 years ago on a student visa, Marouf applied for a green card this year after a previous denial. During his time in the U.S., Marouf has established himself as a community activist and a humanitarian, even earning a certification as a disaster relief worker and EMT.
The same day Marouf’s green card application was rejected, he was arrested by ICE. Among around 30 volunteer organizations Marouf reported work with, including the Red Cross and Boy Scouts of America, one set alarms at DHS: The Holy Land Foundation.
The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development was at one point the largest Muslim charitable organization in the U.S. Founded by Palestinians in Richardson, Texas, the government designated the HLF a terrorist organization in 2001, alleging material support for Hamas, seizing its assets, and arresting five officers and employees of the organization after surveilling them for at least 7 years. The trial was decried by Human Rights Watch.
Less than an hour prior to his next hearing on October 14, DHS leveled terror-related allegations against Marouf in a civil complaint. On October 23, Immigration Judge Abdias Tida sustained the charges—despite DHS failing to provide evidence of its claims.
Marouf is now being scrutinized by the government for his sponsorship of a Palestinian orphan through the organization prior to the case. DHS points to several donations made to the HLF between 1994 and 2001 (including sponsorship of an orphan), Marouf’s status as a volunteer in 1997, and his leadership of the children’s program in 2000.
Marouf has been formally commended by both the City of Irving and the City of Richardson for charity work, including his distribution of over 100,000 free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic and his leadership in establishing a robotics engineering program for students from over 36 North Texas school districts.
Marouf was denied bond at a hearing in early October, where the immigration judge ruled that his court did not have jurisdiction to end his detention. DHS successfully argued Marouf’s detention is mandatory under his classification as an “arriving alien” who was “paroled” into the United States 14 years ago, when Marouf returned from a visit to his mother on her deathbed in Jordan in 2011. The DHS accuses Marouf of overstaying his visa and not possessing a valid visa upon reentry into the U.S. His lead attorney Marium Uddin, who is also director of the Muslim Legal Fund of America, spoke on the case:
“He last entered the U.S. lawfully with his valid travel document that was issued based on his pending green card,” Uddin told Breakthrough News. “DHS’ viewpoint is that classifying him as entering as a parolee, if proper and [the immigration judge] agrees, deprives the judge of his/her authority to decide whether he can either grant or deny bond….we take serious issue with the government’s assertion that Marwan’s classification of entry 14 years ago now divests the IJ of jurisdiction.”
Justice for Marwan Spokesperson Noor Wadi speaks at October 16 press conference. Photo by Sam Judy
Marouf’s team subsequently filed a habeas petition arguing against his detainment. Less than an hour prior to his next hearing on October 14, DHS leveled terror-related allegations against Marouf in a civil complaint. On October 23, Immigration Judge Abdias Tida sustained the charges—despite DHS failing to provide evidence of its claims.
In a letter made public the same day, 19 state house representatives called for his release. An online petition in support of Marouf has garnered more than 57,000 signatures.
As Marouf’s case has faced growing challenges, common arguments for release – including addressing flight risk concerns and affirming community support – are rendered irrelevant by the bolstered charges. Marouf is currently confined to Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, three hours away from his family in Richardson. His sons Dr. Mohammed and Malik Marouf say their father’s detention has left his family and community distraught.
“Hearing from his closest friend about his detainment was extremely shocking. Did not expect Monday morning to start like that. And there’s the concern, of course, for my youngest sibling… him and my father are like two peas in a pod. There’s never a time outside of school hours where you see my little brother without my dad, or my dad without my little brother,” Mohammed says. “They’re making sure that you know our community leader, our father, isn’t going to be able to fight this from the outside and to continue to try to break his spirit, and break all of our spirits in the community.”
My dad has dedicated his life to serving other people. Not just the last 30 years, but his whole life. When he first came to Louisiana on a student visa and attended LSU, he told me that the first day that he arrived there, the first thing he did was he went to the community center and told them, ‘Put me to work.’
Marouf’s wife, Hanan, is a green card holder and eligible for citizenship in 2026 after reaching her five year term. However, as the family is concerned for her safety among various reports of ICE arresting legal residents, they have delayed her return after a visit overseas to Jordan pending advice from her lawyer. Marouf’s teenaged son, Ibrahim, who he dropped off prior to his arrest, has also been similarly distraught.
Malik told Breakthrough News coverage of his father should make greater emphasis on his role in the community and his humanitarian work during the pandemic, the Texas snow storms of 2020, and other efforts:
“My dad has dedicated his life to serving other people. Not just the last 30 years, but his whole life. When he first came to Louisiana on a student visa and attended LSU, he told me that the first day that he arrived there, the first thing he did was he went to the community center and told them, ‘Put me to work.’ And when I say serving people, I don’t just mean the Muslim community, he’s been serving the DFW community as a whole.”
Malik continued, “During these times of need, when 99% of people made the right choice: To hunker down, to stay at home and care for the family and be safe, there were a few members of society that decided to go out of their way, put their safety at risk, and to help the people that were vulnerable. When you make a decision like this to lock up a person like that, someone who has dedicated his life to serving the community, it’s just very unfortunate. It’s very sad that that’s the type of people they’re going after.”
Portrait of Marwan Marouf. Photo courtesy of the Marouf family
Marouf’s legal team and family are also concerned for his health in detention. He was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome – a rare genetic condition causing heart arrhythmia – around 2008 after collapsing and entering a cardiac arrest during a soccer game with friends. His life was saved by a friend at the game, who had just been certified following CPR training. Since then, Marouf has lived with a pacemaker that defibrillates once his heart rate spikes, the pain from which Marouf has described to his son as “like being stabbed in the back with a knife.”
Following his contested removability hearing, Marouf’s legal team now faces even greater odds in ensuring his return to his family. Additionally, as Marouf is Palestinian, even the specifics of his deportation are uncertain, especially compared to DHS cases of fellow Palestinians Mahmoud Khalil, Leqaa Kordia, and Ward Sakeik.
“If ICE proceeds with Marwan’s deportation, it would not only tear apart a family and a community that he has faithfully served for over three decades, but also set a deeply troubling precedent,” Uddin said. “It means that the government can revive outdated, discredited allegations as a basis for removal. Such an outcome erodes public confidence in the fairness and integrity of our immigration system. It also sends a message that due process and fairness are negotiable when it comes to my community. It’s not a message that reflects well on us as a nation that touts democracy as its spine.”
On Thursday, October 23, the same day as Marouf’s third hearing, a protest was held in Houston demanding his release. Organizers bused community members supportive of Marouf from across Texas. As his case has progressed, the trending hashtag #BecauseofMarwan has been utilized by supporters to share stories of his community work on social media.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Houston Immigration Court in support of Marwan Marouf. Photo courtesy of Justice for Marwan
Marouf’s advocates say that they have a “long road ahead” and are determined to persist in demanding his release. Noor Wadi, spokesperson of the Justice for Marwan campaign, spoke on the continuing fight:
“It’s frustrating to see that the charges were sustained, but that this is not the end of the fight. The legal fight continues, and the community pressure will continue. We had hundreds of people get all the way down to Houston yesterday or come out from the Houston community as well, just to show their solidarity. So the community very much wants to see Marwan home, and we’re just going to keep pushing until we see that.“
Marouf’s next hearing is scheduled for November 20.
