Gov. Mikie Sherrill visits mosque led by imam with alleged Hamas ties
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New Jersey Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill He attended a Ramadan event at a Paterson mosque led by an imam who has been fighting deportation for years for his alleged ties to Hamas.
Sherrill shared photos of her visit to the Islamic Center of Passaic County on social media, wearing a hijab and taking selfies. One of the photos shows him talking to Imam Mohammed Katanani, the mosque’s longtime leader.
“Thank you to the Islamic Center of Passaic County for inviting me to join their celebration as the holy month of Ramadan approaches,” he wrote. “I wish our Muslim neighbors a safe, joyful and peaceful Eid al-Fitr.”
Katanani, a Palestinian-born cleric, has been at the center of a decades-long immigration battle after federal authorities sought to deport him, citing his alleged ties to Hamas and his failure to disclose previous detention in Israel. He denied these allegations, saying he was detained but not convicted.
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New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is attending Eid services with the Muslim community in New Jersey, according to a post on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Mikie Sherrill/X)
As Fox News previously reported, the federal government moved to remove Katanani from the United States starting in the mid-2000s, arguing that he made false statements on his green card application, raising national security concerns linked to his Israeli records.
An immigration judge ruled in Katanani’s favor in 2008, finding the government’s evidence unreliable and giving little weight to Israeli court documents used to support the allegations, according to court records. The judge also ruled that the government did not prove that Katanani was involved in terrorist activities.
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New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill is attending Eid services with the Muslim community in New Jersey, according to a post on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Mikie Sherrill/X)
Court records have raised concerns about the reliability of statements attributed to Katanani, including whether they were taken under coercive circumstances. Subsequent decisions continued to favor him over the years.
A federal appeals court ultimately blocked his deportation in 2025; Immigration officials in the decision acted improperly in attempting to reverse his legal status.
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[Board of Immigration Appeals] “He exceeded his authority when he sought to roll back Katanani’s compliance with LPR status by using an agency regulation inconsistent with procedures established by Congress,” the court wrote.
The decision focused on the legal process rather than resolving the underlying claims; found that federal officials failed to follow proper procedures after he missed deadlines to appeal a key decision granting him permanent residence.
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It is unclear whether Sherrill was aware of Katanani’s legal history during his visit. Fox News Digital has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
