Media Advisory
July 21, 2025
CONTACT: Sheila Smith | [email protected]
Media Advisory – NEW DATE FOR BOND HEARING
Pivotal Week in Court for Cincinnati Imam Ayman Soliman: Hearings on July 22 and 24
CINCINNATI ― This week marks a flurry of activity for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain Ayman Soliman, who was abruptly arrested at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office after his asylum status was terminated. On Tuesday, July 22 Soliman will have a hearing before Immigration Judge Jennifer Riedthaler-Williams in the Cleveland Immigration Court, housed in the U.S. Department of Justice. The court appearance will now include the Master Calendar hearing (initial appearance) and a bond hearing to determine potential release from ICE detention. Mr. Soliman will attend virtually from the Butler County Jail.
On July 24, Mr. Soliman and his attorneys will appear in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, for a status conference. The court had previously issued a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the federal government from transferring Mr. Soliman out of Ohio for the time being. The TRO is set to expire on July 23.
Soliman is a faith leader who fled Egypt after being tortured for reporting on the pro-democracy movement. He was in the United States lawfully. The termination of his legal immigration status, and subsequent arrest on civil immigration charges, sparked an immediate and sustained outcry from hospital staff, parents and other caregivers of ill children, and community members of all backgrounds.
“We are quite literally fighting for Mr. Soliman’s life in these court proceedings. We can not allow agency officials to make arbitrary decisions like ripping away lawful grants of asylum status years later without evidence. In all respects, we will fight for Mr. Soliman’s due process rights and freedom, based on the rule of law,” says attorney Kathryn Brady, with the Muslim Legal Fund of America.
What/When/Where:
Master Calendar and Bond Hearing: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 1 p.m., Cleveland Immigration Court (801 W. Superior Avenue, Suite 13 – 100, Cleveland)
Status Conference, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio: Thursday, July 24 at 1:30pm (Closed Press)
TO VIEW THE IMMIGRATION HEARING: Members of the press and public should contact the Cleveland Immigration Court to confirm details for viewing the July 22 hearing. Please note that recording immigration hearings is NOT allowed. Additional information about viewing hearings can be found here.
Who: Brennan, Manna, and Diamond, LLC
Robert A. Ratliff, Esq.
Muslim Legal Fund of America
Kathryn H. Brady, MLFA Immigration Litigation Department Head
Franchel D. Daniel, MLFA Immigration Litigation Department Senior Staff Attorney
Law Office of Nazly Mamedova
Nazly Mamedova, Principal
Julia Healy, Associate Attorney
To speak with a member of Mr. Soliman’s legal team, please contact Sheila Smith at [email protected]
Background: On July 9, former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Chaplain was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is currently being held in the Butler County Jail. On July 11, alongside his legal team, Mr. Soliman filed a petition for habeas corpus in the federal district court for the Southern District of Ohio. petition requests that the court enter an order preventing the government from transferring him to another facility as the case continues. On July 15, a federal district judge issued a Temporary Restraining Order that prevents the Department of Homeland Security from moving him out of Ohio, at least until his immigration bond hearing on July 23. For more information on the case, visit here.
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