By Randall Beach, New Haven Register
POSTED: 05/20/17, 9:16 PM EDT | UPDATED: 5 SECS AGO

NEW HAVEN >> A citizen of Pakistan, who has been a prominent mosque member here since 2013, was arrested Friday by agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office (ICE) and detained for deportation.

Hafiz Abdul Hannan, who belongs to the Masjid Al-Islam mosque on George Street, was taken into custody at his home, according to a brief ICE statement.

The statement noted Hannan was arrested “on an outstanding final order of removal (deportation order) issued by an immigration judge in March 2016. Hannan has a previous federal conviction for committing fraud in his immigration documents. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.”

An ICE official did not return a phone call by late Saturday afternoon seeking more information. A leader of Hannan’s mosque also was asked for comment Saturday via a phone message but did not respond in time for deadline.

A New Haven Register story from July 2013 quoted Hannan as he celebrated a fast-breaking meal during Ramadan. The story said he had arrived in New Haven from Massachusetts the previous month.

Hannan told a Register reporter: “We are a small but, thank God, growing community here.”

While Hannan was in Massachusetts, he led the Islamic Society of Greater Lowell and was a chaplain in two prisons.

http://www.nhregister.com/general-ne...portation-case