I just determines want to ailey indicates live a peaceful life. "A friend counseled Ouassif to hold firm "Nothing will happen to you," he said "This is their strategy Be patient It's a test from God. "Ouassif sought help At his side at his first immigration appointment, on Dec. 14, was Banafsheh Akhlaghi, an Iranian-born lawyer who has become an advocate for the civil rights of Middle Easterners, Muslims and South Asians. Fliflet and an agent with U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement chided him for not helping his country and promised they had proof he was "a bad guy. " Then, Customs and Border Protection agents took him into custody and handed him the charging document, also known as a notice to appear in court. But within hours, he was released. The region's national security prosecutor for the Department of Homeland Security, Peter Vincent, had relayed to Akhlaghi that there was insufficient evidence to prove the terrorism allegation, she said. The agents then asked Vincent for more time to gather evidence They took four more months. At last, on April 18, Ouassif's ordeal ended. "Finally, they gave me my green card back, with no explanation and not even any apology," Ouassif said. Reached at the cellphone number that Fliflet gave Ouassif, Fliflet declined to comment. Vincent also declined to discuss the case and referred a call to ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice, who said that the agency never began formal immigration proceedings against Ouassif. But she noted that the decision to present Ouassif with the notice to appear before a prosecutor agreed to press the case was unusual. "I wouldn't think it's common," she said. *Ouassif's story in many ways remains mysterious. Akhlaghi said she was told the investigation was prompted by a transcript of Ouassif expressing anti-U. S.

opinions that, "if he were a citizen, would have been protected speech. "Such a conversation would likely have been recorded by an informant who had already infiltrated Ouassif's Al-Tawheed friends Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre - alvinailey . Quy, the FBI spokeswoman, said that agents would not place someone on a no-fly list without cause. "The FBI did not arbitrarily choose Yassine from a group of young Muslim men," she said . "We were in receipt of specific information that indicated he may be either directly involved or have knowledge of terrorist activities. "But Akhlaghi believes agents tried to scare Ouassif into cooperating, threatening him with charges they could not substantiate. She has handled four other immigration cases since last year in which Bay Area clients were pressed in custody to become informants ailey ballet . Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre tickets Two Pakistani students and an Egyptian imam were picked up for minor violations, including failing to pay student fees and misstating an address on a form ailey boutique . The fourth, a Moroccan, was discovered to have overstayed his visa. All declined to become informants and are fighting deportation. "They are being visited when they are in shackles and handcuffs and an orange suit," Akhlaghi said ailey city center . "There is something that can be really threatening about that. "Syed, of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, said he has heard of about 10 attempts to turn Muslims with immigration troubles into informants in the last 18 months Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre - wikipedia . Even in cases in which federal agents are using leverage, terrorism experts suggest there are lines that should not be crossed. "If we were going to deport them anyway, and you say, 'You've committed a violation That's the way it is . But if you help us out, we'll throw you a lifeline,' I think that's fair," said Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on homeland security.