Rasmea Odeh convicted of Immigration Fraud

Rasmea Odeh,  a member of the PLFP terror group was found guilty today of immigration fraud for failing to reveal her criminal background when applying for citizenship.   She had neglected to disclose her conviction in an Israeli grocery store bombing that killed two young university students when she first immigrated from Jordan in 1995 and again when she became a U.S. citizen in 2004.

According to Ron Hansen, a spokesman for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the 67 year old activist was convicted of unlawful procurement of naturalization. She faces  up to 10 years in prison and will lose her U.S. citizenship.

Judge Gershwin Drain declared her a flight risk, and Odeh was removed from the courtroom in handcuffs.

From the FBI:
"...Odeh omitted her arrest, conviction, and imprisonment overseas, which were material facts for the United States government in determining whether to grant her citizenship.

“The United States will never be a safe haven for individuals seeking to distance themselves from their pasts,” said William Hayes, acting special agent in charge for HSI Detroit. “When individuals lie on immigration documents, the system is severely undermined and the security of our nation is put at risk.”

"An individual convicted of a terrorist bombing would not be admitted to the United States if that information was known at the time of arrival," McQuade said. "Upon discovery that someone convicted of a terrorist attack is in the United States illegally, we will seek to use our criminal justice system to remove that individual." 

William A. Jacobson of the Blog Legal Insurrection has covered this trial extensively. See:

·           Rasmieh Odeh Defies Judge’s Order, Claims Torture to Jury
·         Jury nullification is defense strategy in Rasmieh Odeh trial
·         Will Pro-Palestinian activists clash with Judge at Rasmieh Odeh trial?
·         Court rejects Rasmieh Odeh motion to postpone trial
·         Devastating pre-trial rulings against Rasmieh Odeh in naturalization prosecution
·         Judge orders jurors protected from pro-Palestinian activists
·         Palestinian activist groups accused of attempting to influence jury