Kansas chemistry teacher fights immigration arrest

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Supporters of a Kansas chemistry instructor hope immigration officials will be lenient because he has lived in the United States for 30 years without problems and has a family.

The Kansas City Star reports Syed Ahmed Jamal was arrested in his front yard in Lawrence, Kansas, on Jan. 24 as he walked his seventh-grade daughter to school.

The 55-year-old Jamal, who is from Bangladesh, arrived in the United States in 1987 to study at the University of Kansas. Most recently, he was teaching at Park University.

Jamal’s lawyer, Jeffrey Bennett, says an immigration judge allowed Jamal to remain in the country on a supervised basis provided he checked in regularly.

President Donald Trump has toughened immigration enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say Jamal lost an appeal of a removal order four years ago.