CINCINNATI, Ohio — A former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain has been detained by ICE, according to our media partners, WCPO-9 TV.
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Imam Ayman Soliman was detained on July 9 after his asylum status was rescinded.
Soliman got asylum status over a decade ago after he arrived in the United States from Egypt, advocacy groups Ignite Peace and Young Souls for Revolutionary Action told WCPO-9.
Congressman Greg Landsman released a statement Thursday night and said Soliman can stay in Ohio “for the time being” before his immigration court case.
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“We spoke at length today with ICE officials — making the case for why Ayman deserves to remain in our community,” Landsman said. “We have been working on Ayman’s case for months — well before this became public.”
The Islamic Association of Cincinnati and the Initiative on Islam and Medicine both list Soliman as a member.
Soliman’s biography on the Initiative on Islam and Medicine’s website lists that he was an imam for 14 years in Egypt before coming to the United States.
He has since served as chaplain at Northwestern University, a chaplain and imam at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and a chaplain in the prison system, according to WCPO-9.
“We expect this to be a long process that he and his attorneys will be navigating,” Landsman said. “At every step of the way — before he was detained, afterward and going forward — we have been and will continue working hand in hand with his legal team. We have secured a commitment that Ayman will be able to stay in Ohio for the time being — prior to his next appearances before the immigration court.”
Before going into his immigration check-in, Soliman told Rep. Munira Abdullahi that he was granted asylum status in 2018, four years after he came to the United States on a temporary visa.
Soliman applied for a green card in 2019, but his status was terminated and his green card was denied six years later, WCPO-9 reported.
His attorneys said he applied for asylum in February 2015, and his claim was approved in June 2018.
WCPO-9 reported that Soliman’s status began to change during the last few months of the Biden administration.
Soliman was told the process to revoke his asylum status started in December 2024, 12 days after a judge allowed one of his lawsuits against federal agencies to move forward.
WCPO-9 obtained federal court records that show Soliman has filed several lawsuits against federal government officials and agencies, including the FBI’s Threat Screening Center, which is previously known as the Terrorist Screening Center.
The media outlet reported that in this lawsuit, Soliman claims he had a job offer revoked because his background check returned with an FBI flag.
According to the lawsuit, Soliman said the fingerprints recorded in the government’s screening database didn’t match his prints.
The lawsuit indicates that Soliman was working to confirm his status and figure out why he showed up on a federal watchlist, despite not having a criminal record, WCPO-9 reported.
His asylum status was officially revoked by June 2025.
Soliman reportedly left Egypt to get away from government persecution while working as a journalist, according to WCPO-9.
“If anything happens ... going back to Egypt for me is a death sentence. I didn’t come to America seeking a better life. It was escaping death ... from the regime and his supporters,” Soliman told Abdullahi.
Soliman is currently booked in the Butler County Jail.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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