National Security & Defense

Eugene

(61,974 posts) Fri Feb 22, 2019, 02:22 AM Feb 2019

Alabama woman who joined Islamic State sues to return to US

Source: Associated Press

Alabama woman who joined Islamic State sues to return to US

February 22, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The father of an Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State in Syria filed suit against the Trump administration Thursday in an effort to allow her return to the United States.

Ahmed Ali Muthana argues in the suit filed in federal court in Washington that his 24-year-old daughter, Hoda Muthana, is an American citizen by birth and should be allowed to come back to the U.S. with her toddler son.

Hoda Muthana is now in a Syrian refugee camp with the 18-month-old boy after fleeing the remnants of the Islamic State.

Her lawyers said in a statement that she expects to be charged with providing material support to terrorism if she is allowed to return to the U.S.

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8 replies

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Highlight:

Alabama woman who joined Islamic State sues to return to US (Original Post) Eugene Feb 2019 OP

She was an adult when she burned her passport and 2naSalit Feb 2019 #1

What sources say she burned her passport or even renounced U.S. citizenship? Eugene Feb 2019 #2

Wonder how she managed to get to Syria without a passport. 2naSalit Feb 2019 #3

She had a then-valid U.S. passport when she left the U.S. in 2014. Eugene Feb 2019 #7

Thanks, I hadn't seen/heard that much 2naSalit Feb 2019 #8

Wasn't there another group of Americans who renounced their citizenship and ck4829 Feb 2019 #4

The difference is that she is having avebury Feb 2019 #5

There should be consequences no doubt. This isn't new ground law-wise though ck4829 Feb 2019 #6

2naSalit

(86,984 posts)

1. She was an adult when she burned her passport and

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 02:35 AM

Feb 2019

rejected her citizenship...

Eugene

(61,974 posts)

2. What sources say she burned her passport or even renounced U.S. citizenship?

Reply to 2naSalit (Reply #1)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 03:17 AM

Feb 2019

Even the State Department asserts she is not eligible for a U.S. passport and lacks birthright citizenship. If she provably renounced her citizenship, the State Department case would be beyond dispute. The U.S. asserts she never had it all along.

2naSalit

(86,984 posts)

3. Wonder how she managed to get to Syria without a passport.

Reply to Eugene (Reply #2)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 03:22 AM

Feb 2019

I heard this on NPR, this morning I think. If she renounced her citizenship, that was her choice, hard to undo.

What were your sources? I haven't heard the points you are making.

Eugene

(61,974 posts)

7. She had a then-valid U.S. passport when she left the U.S. in 2014.

Reply to 2naSalit (Reply #3)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 04:50 AM

Feb 2019

From the AP article in the OP:

The State Department under the Obama Administration determined that she lacked birthright citizenship and retroactively revoked her passport in 2016.

And from The Hill article posted earlier in LBN:

The State Department asserts that Hoda Muthana was born the daughter of an accredited foreign diplomat, lack birthright citizenship and has never been a U.S. citizen. Her family disputes this saying the her father was not a diplomat when she was born and she was born subject to U.S. law. This is what the lawsuit is about.

From The Washington Post:

Pompeo issued a statement saying Muthana is not a U.S. citizen. Her father was a Yemeni diplomat, and children born to foreign diplomats in the United States are not granted birthright U.S. citizenship. But a family representative said Muthana’s father had stepped down from his diplomatic role before she was born and that she was indeed born a U.S. citizen and had a valid U.S. passport.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/02/21/how-countries-may-try-avoid-taking-back-isis-fighters-their-families/

Nobody is saying she renounced her citizenship. The dispute is whether she is a Yemeni or an American answerable for U.S. terrorism charges.

2naSalit

(86,984 posts)

8. Thanks, I hadn't seen/heard that much

Reply to Eugene (Reply #7)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 10:11 AM

Feb 2019

about her background. Sounds like a dicey argument. From what I recall of the story she supposedly made a video of her renouncing the US and whatever US documents she had. Not sure if that's for real, that's what I remember standing out when I heard t though.

ck4829

(35,096 posts)

4. Wasn't there another group of Americans who renounced their citizenship and

Reply to 2naSalit (Reply #1)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 04:10 AM

Feb 2019

waged war on America?

We let them all rejoin, why not her?

avebury

(10,953 posts)

5. The difference is that she is having

Reply to ck4829 (Reply #4)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 04:23 AM

Feb 2019

to deal with the Trump administration. That aside, I can understand them saying no as actions have consequences.

ck4829

(35,096 posts)

6. There should be consequences no doubt. This isn't new ground law-wise though

Reply to avebury (Reply #5)

Fri Feb 22, 2019, 04:26 AM

Feb 2019

I think in the article, her lawyer says she is willing to face charges of providing material support for terrorism, that is a whole lot more accepting responsibility than other people who decided to go renegade.

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