Supreme Court Reviews Deportation Standard for Terrorist Support

The Supreme Court of the United States granted a petition for review on October 13 to decide if the government can deport individuals who provide material support to terrorist organizations. The case involves Izuchukwu Ozurumba, a Nigerian national who served as a cook for a separatist group called the Unknown Gunmen for six months.

An immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals originally ordered Ozurumba's deportation. However, a split panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned that decision. The appellate court ruled that preparing meals using the organization's own supplies did not constitute material support because the action did not directly assist the group in carrying out terrorist activities.

The United States Department of Justice petitioned the high court to overturn the appellate ruling, arguing the interpretation conflicts with a 2010 Supreme Court precedent. Attorneys for Ozurumba maintain that the government is manufacturing a legal conflict and argue that support must be relevant and significant to terrorism to justify a deportation bar.