Chemist was on plane being deported when judge granted stay

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- A chemist who has lived in Kansas for 30 years was already on a plane being deported back to his native Bangladesh when a federal immigration board issued a new stay Monday his supporters hope will allow him to be returned to Lawrence, his attorneys said.

It was a dramatic day for the family and supporters of Syed Ahmed Jamal, 55, who have been battling deportation since he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Jan. 24 in Lawrence at a home he shares with his wife and three children, who are U.S. citizens.

A federal immigration judge Monday removed a temporary stay he issued last week for Jamal, who was being held in a detention center in El Paso, Texas. His attorneys filed a new motion for a stay with the Board of Immigration Appeals in Virginia, which granted the motion later Monday.

Before the second order was issued, Jamal was placed on a plane back to Bangladesh, said his attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford. The plane is scheduled to refuel in Hawaii and Sharma-Crawford said she was hopeful he would be taken off the plane and be sent back to the U.S., KMBC reported.

Jamal's possible deportation had prompted 94,000 people to sign a petition in his support. Rep. Emauel Cleaver, a Democrat from Missouri whose office was flooded with calls about the case, took up Jamal's cause, even visiting him in El Paso during the weekend. On Monday, before the second order was issued, he issued a statement saying he would continue with plans to draft a bill prompted by Jamal's case showing how "this broken and unfair" immigration system affects families who have deep ties to their communities.

Rep. Lynn Jenkins, whose Kansas district includes Lawrence, also said before the second stay was issued she supported Jamal's efforts to have his immigration case reopened.

"My heart aches for his wife and children," Jenkins said. "I cannot imagine what they are going through during this very difficult time."

Jamal is a native of Bangladesh. While in the U.S., he has worked as an adjunct professor and researcher at Kansas City-area colleges.

Jamal entered the U.S. legally in 1987 to attend the University of Kansas but overstayed his visa while pursuing a doctorate. He was ordered deported in 2011 but had been allowed to stay in the U.S. and check in regularly with immigration authorities. Sharma-Crawford said Jamal has a work permit valid until October 2018.

ICE officials have consistently declined to explain why they chose to enforce the order in late January.