LOS ANGELES – In an historic
case, a federal judge ruled today that a Palestinian man who came to the United
States more than two decades ago seeking a better future should become a U.S.
citizen. The man, Aiad Barakat, is one of the so-called L.A. 8, a group of eight
people who were targeted by the government nearly 20 years ago for engaging in
political speech and supporting Palestinian rights.
The American Civil
Liberties Union of Southern California, the Center for Constitutional Rights and
the National Lawyer's Guild filed the case after immigration officials denied
Barakat’s citizenship application.
“Aiad Barakat did nothing more than
attend social gatherings and distribute a Palestinian magazine in the mid-1980s,
yet the government forced a federal trial to determine whether this father who
has lived in L.A. for 20 years, could finally become a citizen and fully
participate in our society,” said Ahilan Arulanatham of the ACLU of Southern
California. “The answer from the court today was a big win for Aiad and everyone
who supports freedom of speech.”
According to the ACLU, officials denied
Barakat’s application for citizenship on the same allegations that the
government had failed to prove 20 years ago. None of the L.A. 8 were ever
charged with a crime, and a federal court determined that their activity was
protected by the First Amendment. In today’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephen
Wilson said that, will become a naturalized citizen.
“I am very pleased. I
have waited for this day for almost 20 years,” Barakat said. “I'm hopeful that
the government will quickly issue me a passport so that I can travel back to the
Middle East to visit my elderly mother, something I haven't been able to do
since I came to this country.”
Barakat is a construction site supervisor and
lives in Arcadia with his two children.
“This is an historic ruling,” said
David Cole of the Center for Constitutional Rights. “This case makes clear that
the government cannot deny someone citizenship simply based on activity
protected by the First Amendment.”
Marc Van Der Hout of the National Lawyers
Guild added, “We hope the government will not waste even more resources in
appealing this important decision. This misguided prosecution has gone on long
enough and it's time it ended.”
Barakat is the first of the L.A. 8 to become
a citizen.
“We hope the government will take this opportunity to reassess the
cases of the other seven people in the L.A. 8 and grant them citizenship as
well,” Carol Sobel, also of the National Lawyer’s Guild, said.