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Court stops deportation of asylum seeker
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Posted on Mar 16 2000
Superior Court Associate Judge Timothy H. Bellas yesterday temporarily stopped the Department of Labor and Immigration from carrying out deportation order against Bangladesh national Juyel Ahmed.
In his order, Judge Bellas scheduled a hearing on March 23, 2000 to finally determine whether Mr. Ahmed should be deported while he has a pending application for asylum.
He has directed Maj. Ignacio Celis, supervisor of the Department of Labor and Immigration Detention Center, to release Mr. Ahmed from detention following certain conditions, which include regular appearance in court hearings and reporting to an immigration officer.
Earlier, Judge Bellas granted the habeas corpus petition of Mr. Ahmed, and gave DOLI 10 days to deport him, otherwise, he should be released without any condition.
Mr. Ahmed, who has been languishing in jail for almost two years now, came to the CNMI as a tourist but was detained by immigration officials because his permit to stay expired on Nov. 24, 1994. The deportation of Mr. Ahmed has been delayed due to the failure of DOLI to acquire from the Bangladesh government the necessary travel documents.
A practicing Muslim, Mr. Ahmed claimed that he was tortured by Bangladeshi authorities and he will be subjected to severe pain or suffering if he returned to his country. Such threats to his life has led Mr. Ahmed to apply for political asylum.
According to Mr. Ahmed, his involuntary detention for nearly two years has violated protections and rights guaranteed to him under the Constitutions of the Commonwealth and the United States.
But DOLI has informed the court that it has acquired the necessary travel documents to effect the deportation of Mr. Ahmed which has been set on March 16, 2000.
The court, however, immediately granted the petition of Mr. Ahmed to stop the deportation saying he has sufficiently shown that he will suffer irreparable injury and harm unless a temporary restraining order is issued.
