A week after the detention of their imam, Egyptian-born Ayman Soliman, worshippers at the Clifton mosque in Cincinnati, Ohio, are still in shock. Soliman was detained on 9 July while attending a regular check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers, weeks after being told that his asylum status had been terminated, a provision that he had held for more than seven years.

Lawyers for Soliman say that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) alleges he provided material support to a so-called “Tier III” terrorist organization, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, through his involvement with Al-Gameya al-Shareya, a prominent charity organization in Egypt.

“Tier III” refers to groups that are not officially designated terrorist organizations by the US Department of State, but which an asylum officer may determine to be as such on a case-by-case basis.