From Southern California’s Daily Breeze, with thanks to Anthony:
An Orange County mosque leader from Egypt who authorities said had given speeches that could be considered supportive of terrorist organizations agreed Tuesday to leave the United States voluntarily, giving up his fight to remain in the country.
Wagdy Ghoneim is being held at the federal immigration detention center on Terminal Island. As part of the agreement with government attorneys, he avoids deportation in exchange for admitting he was in the United States in violation of his immigration status, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement.
He must leave the United States by Jan. 7. By agreeing to voluntary removal, Ghoneim, the imam at the Islamic Institute of Orange County, is eligible to reapply for entry into the country.
Ghoneim, 53, was arrested at his Anaheim home last month on an immigration violation, but authorities had declined to disclose details about the case.
At the time, his lawyer and supporters said the arrest was a mistake and that he expected to be released soon.
Ghoneim has been held without bond since then “based upon Department of Homeland Security concerns that his past speeches and participation in fund-raising activities could be supportive of terrorist organizations,” Kice said, declining to provide further details.
Meanwhile, the standard allegations of mistreatment, which would be more credible if they weren’t made every time (like the protestations of innocence and discrimination):
Muslim leaders say he was hospitalized with chest pains during his detention and that he was handcuffed and chained to his hospital bed. When family members tried to check on his condition, they were reportedly turned away, according to the Council on American Islamic Relations Southern California.