CINCINNATI — Former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain Ayman Soliman has been released from jail, and his asylum status has been reinstated.
The Muslim Legal Fund announced on Friday afternoon that their client had been released from ICE custody. Ignite Peace said that Soliman’s asylum status has been reinstated.
“I was reborn at 12 PM today,” Soliman said during a press conference called on Friday at his Clifton Mosque. “This is beyond a dream!”
The organization Young United Souls for Revolutionary Action posted a video on social media showing Soliman walking out of the Butler County jail, carrying what appeared to be a garbage bag filled with his personal effects.
Soliman was taken into ICE custody in July during a check-in at the agency’s Blue Ash office. The detainment comes months after his asylum status, which he was granted in 2018, was revoked in December 2024.
Soliman’s legal team told us his status was revoked years after he arrived in the U.S., noting an asylum officer labeled an organization Soliman was involved with in Egypt as a terrorist group despite both the U.S. and Egypt not designating the group as such.
Soliman’s attorneys stated that he was previously a board member of the group Al-Jameya al-Shar’iyya, also known as Al-Gam’iyya al-Shar’iyya, while residing in Egypt. That information, they said, was disclosed when he applied for asylum and was known to the government.
But his attorneys said an asylum officer labeled the group a Tier III terrorist organization last year, saying the group provided support to the Muslim Brotherhood, which they also labeled a Tier III terrorist organization.
Soliman’s attorneys have argued since his arrest that there was no need to revoke his asylum status, and returning to Egypt will result in his death.
“The department was able to revoke an asylum,” Robert Ratliff, one of Soliman’s attorneys, said during Friday’s press conference. “Was able to determine that their own evidence was sufficient and then was able to use those allegations to detain this man for seventy-plus days.”
Hear from some of Soliman’s co-workers, who say they were fired from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for supporting him:
2 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplains fired after supporting detained former coworker
His incarceration has sparked multiple protests and marches throughout the Cincinnati area, including one that ended with the arrest of roughly a dozen protesters — and two journalists — after the protesters marched across the Roebling Bridge.
Clergy members throughout the region have also protested and held events in support of Soliman. Pews at New Prospect Baptist Church were filled with people from all different faiths and denominations, all of whom came together for an interfaith prayer service dedicated to Soliman.
Elizabeth Diop, friend and former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital co-worker of Soliman, spoke to us on multiple occasions — including when she and another chaplain were fired from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for supporting Soliman.
See emotional community members rally demanding Soliman’s release below:
ICE detains Cincinnati Children’s chaplain previously granted asylum
“I don’t regret this,” Lizzy Diop, former Cincinnati Children’s chaplain, told WCPO. “I regret that the hospital fired me, I regret their silence in the matter. I’m a chaplain, right? I don’t regret that god called me to do justice, love, and kindness.”
Recently, advocates gathered in Columbus to bring their concerns about Soliman’s incarceration to state leaders, specifically Governor Mike DeWine.
Advocates delivered a letter explaining their cause to the governor, signed by 1,166 members of the faith community, asking for DeWine to come to Soliman’s aid, as he remained behind bars inside the Butler County Jail.
What’s next for Soliman?
Today at his Clifton Mosque, Soliman recounted what he described as unsure and scary times in jail.
“I met some officers who told me ‘We are so sorry you are here,'” Soliman said. “We heard your story, and that brought me all the comfort. And some people treated me like an animal.”
Now, Soliman, who is working to get his green card, is advocating for others who feel they are unjustly detained.
“When I’ve been told last minute I was leaving, everybody was dancing and happy,” Soliman recalled. “They [those inside the Butler County jail] know there’s no hope for them to go out. But they were happy because someone they knew was unjustly detained is finally walking out free. This is not the behavior of the worst of the worst; this is the behavior of the best of the best. I hope we can all advocate and have their voices heard.”
Hear from an emotional Ayman following his release from custody:
Cincinnati imam detained by ICE, Ayman Soliman, released