US Immigration board drops case against two Palestinian men

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A US immigration board has dismissed charges against a pair of Palestinian men accused of terrorist ties, ending a 20-year government effort to deport them. The action by the Board of Immigration Appeals closed one of the nation's longest-running deportation cases, against Khader Hamide and Michel Shehdeh, members of what became known as the "L.A. Eight." The board dismissed the case at the request of the government, according to a Monday filing. In the settlement, the government agreed not to seek their deportation in return for the men agreeing not to apply for citizenship for three years. "My family and I feel a tremendous amount of relief today," Hamide said in a statement. "After 20 years, the nightmare is finally over. I feel vindicated at long last."