Syed Jamal, a Lawrence, Kansas, scientist arrested in January for overstaying his visa, will be able to present his case to an immigration judge, preventing his imminent deportation.
Attorneys for Jamal, who was born in Bangladesh, announced Tuesday that the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled last week to send his case back to an immigration judge.
“It gives us a chance to have our day in court,” said Alan Claus Anderson, Jamal’s neighbor and part of his legal team.
It also blocks Jamal’s imminent deportation.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Jamal in front of his house in January. Friends, neighbors and community members rallied to fight his deportation. In February, Jamal was put on a flight back to Bangladesh but was removed from the plane in Hawaii after his attorneys secured an emergency court order.
Related: TIMELINE: The Legal Odyssey Of Syed Jamal
Anderson said the latest ruling means Jamal can continue to live with his family in Lawrence and work as an instructor at Donnelly College.
“Due process has prevailed, and we've been able to get to the point we've been asking for all this time,” Anderson said.
No date has been set for Jamal’s hearing, but Anderson does not expect the hearing will take place until 2019.
Maria Carter is the news director for KCUR 89.3. Follow her on Twitter @mariacarter.
