A local imam is freed from jail 73 days after he was first detained. Ayman Soliman was arrested July 9 in Blue Ash during an ICE check-in.
Soliman says the conditions were as brutal as his detention in torture dungeons in Egypt.
On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss his release and his asylum case.
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This episode was transcribed using a combination of AI speech recognition and human editors and has been lightly edited for clarity. It may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print.
A regular check in with immigration officials leads to detention. It's a story we've heard again and again since the Trump administration stepped up immigration enforcement and deportation efforts. But my next guest has a different ending for his detention story. His ended with freedom. This is Cincinnati Edition on WVXU I'm Lucy May. Joining me now to discuss his detention and his plans for the future is imam Ayman Soliman. It's been about a month since your release from Butler County Jail, where you spent 73 days. How are you doing?
Soliman: Better than I expected. Trying to work on the trauma that this unjust detainment caused, and also advocate for other people who are forgetting out there.
For those who aren't familiar with your case, can you explain why you left Egypt and came to the United States, and eventually sought asylum here.
Soliman: So I was a journalist during the Arab Spring. I had a long history with problems with the regimes. Started with Mubarak, who got ousted in 2011 during the Arab Spring, when we had the peaceful people's uprising, I get three I got detained three times during his time, and I got tortured then working as a journalist during the Arab Spring. And what happened in Egypt in July of 2013 when the military leaders ousted the president, kidnapped his cabinet and 10s of 1000s of his supporters. So being a journalist became a problem, because the worst nightmare for a dictator is someone who is showing what is happening, showing the truth. So I get detained again, and then Egypt became a very difficult place to live as a journalist or as a person who has an opinion opposing a bloody military coup that took the lives of 15,000 Egyptians so far. So my family pushed me to come to the US to study filmmaking in Chicago for five, six months until things cooled down. Unfortunately, things got worse, and I had to apply for political asylum so I can stay safer in the US.
You were just talking about the times you were detained in Egypt, but you were detained here in July during a check in with immigration officials. Did you have concerns going into that meeting that you might be detained? Did you suspect that might happen?
Soliman: I think this was a valid concern, given the circumstances the political climate in the country, and what we have seen of ice detaining people during check ins and during their court hearings. So I would say, one of my attorneys contacted the office ice office in Blue Ash, and they told her it is just a regular check in. So I was like, 50/50, and yeah, I went there expecting that there are 50% chances I get detained.
And it sounds like, from other interviews, I've read that the the interview was going fine, the meeting was going fine, and then at the end, they just said, Tell us how that went.
Soliman: It was very unexpected. So we were told that we will be having a very brief check in with a Department of Homeland Security Officer, ICE. And when we went to there, we found two, actually officers. One of them was from the FBI, which was not expected, and we did not get head up. After few minutes, they asked me if I could answer some questions. And this was voluntary. It was not I decided to speak because I know since 2018 I have been having issues. And every time, you know, I was told there is a probably an FBI flag. I didn't know what that meant, but I assumed it was a problem. So I decided to speak and the. Interviewed me or interrogated me for two and a half hours, asking me about everything, my life in Egypt, my political views, my religious views, my life in the US, my relationship was and connections to all the Muslim organizations, including the very radical ones that I never heard of. And I would say towards the end of the interview, I felt like it was was going really well, and the two officers were becoming friendly.
And that was how long? How long did that?
Soliman: Two and a half hours. I felt like they probably had some misinformation. And this interview was helpful, that it cleared everything. I answered every single question with clarity and transparency, and I expected that they will just let me go. Unfortunately, after taking a few minutes to consider the situation, they told me I was under arrest, which was a shock.
You were taken to the Butler County Jail. How were you treated there?
Soliman: This was one of the most traumatic, if not the most traumatic, experiences of my life. And I know I said that multiple times, and that probably came up as surprising to some people. I and I felt there was an intention, an intent to dehumanize people who are going there. We arrived at the Butler County jail at 3pm and I was held in a freezing room. And I kept repeating that multiple times, although the sheriff's office tried to deny that, and I challenged them. Challenge I challenged them. This is what happened. This is a freezing room. The temperature in the corridor is completely, completely different than the temperature in these rooms. Everybody was freezing, and they left us with just a t shirt on. People were trying to jump and try to exercise to keep themselves warm. It is a freezing room with one toilet, and you're supposed to use this toilet in the presence of other 12 to 14 other people, 15 other people. And when I objected and kept asking to use the bathroom. I was allowed after five hours when they took us to do what they call the booking, when you officially become an inmate, change your cloth and wear the jail uniform. I was with two other gentlemen from Mexico, I think, and the officer was very, very mean, and he asked us to scrape strip naked in front of each other. And when I objected that, I said, this goes against, you know, inhuman dignity, and also against my faith. He mocked me, and he told me, I don't care if you're tired, if you didn't eat anything, if you left your kids alone. He kept mocking us in a very, very dehumanizing way. So I can say that this was systematic. There are, there were many, many good officers who were respecting me and treating me well, but these violations are just, I don't think these people get held accountable, because it keeps happening all the time. We were held inside our cells. This is a normal day I would spend 19 hours plus in my cell and only left out for breaks, or what they call recreation time, for less than five hours a day. They there was no privacy. You are sharing the cell with someone. Every time you need to use a toilet, you have to find some blanket to cover yourself. The showers outside the cells are open to everyone. So if you're taking a shower, everybody can see you taking a shower. When I advocated for my rights, my religious rights, to pray with other inmates to have a quiet place to pray, which was very feasible, a room that was used by the volunteer, you know, religious clergy. I had an argument with an officer who had a history of abusing and harassing Muslims. He there were three lawsuits against him in courts already, and he lied to his supervisors and said I objected a lockdown order, which was not true, and I was bought on a solitary confinement for 60 days. It was supposed to be 20 days, but I kept making noise and complaining. And people outside were pressuring so they let me out after six days. Solitary confinement is one of the worst experience I had in my life, logged in my cell for 23 hours a day, only left out for one hour, deprived from what I took commissary food to talk to my attorney and to have my regular weekend visits.
I would mention, we did reach out to the Butler County Sheriff's Office. We haven't received a response. As you alluded to Ammon, the sheriff's office told the inquirer there was no mistreatment. You spent time in detention in Egypt. We've talked about that. How did the time you spent at the Butler County Jail compare to your time in Egypt, if you can even make that.
Soliman: Absolutely and I said that in other interviews, it was more dramatic than my experience in Egypt for two reasons. One, in Egypt, I would go for three, four days get tortured. Yes, physical torture. And then everybody knows that when you are detained by the secret police or the state police, state security police, it's about three, four days, they usually pressure you and torture you. I get torture three out of the four times I get detained, physical torture in Egypt, in Egypt, but I knew that in 345, days, I'll be out, most likely, because there was no case. It was there is, there was no warrant. But in, but in the Butler County Sheila, it was 73 days, not three or four days. And I had no back in Egypt. I knew that I'll be out here at the Butler County Sheila. I had no hope. One hour before I get released, I had no hope that they'll be out. And what actually made it more painful is this is happening in America. I was promised a safe home in this country, and I know this all happened because I'm Muslim and because I am practicing my faith. There was no other reason. It was unjust. My asylum status get terminated, and it was a nightmare to believe that the country that once promised me a safe place to be when I fled persecution is the same one that not only stripped me from my right to safety, they stripped me from my right to life, and they're holding me in this place in order to send me back To get killed in Egypt. That's why it was most traumatic experience of my life. And I think the sheriff is either uninformed or they're just lying.
How much contact were you able to have with your lawyers, your friends, your supporters? I mean, I know you know now that there were many people advocating for you in this community, while you were being detained.
Soliman: This was one of the greatest supports, means of support that I had. And the four or five hours that you are allowed out of your cell, you have access to a phone, paid phone, so we could pay for calls, and I could have could talk to my attorneys and talk to my my friends and family. My attorneys were able to visit me in person, like every other inmate. And of course, it is brought a lot of a lot of support. I was also watching television in jail, and I could see the advocacy that the people in Cincinnati, in northern Kentucky, tri state, put together to support me, and this definitely made a huge difference. Without that, I don't think I could have survived it.
I'm talking with imam Ayman Soliman. Tell us about the people you met during your detention, the other detainees.
Soliman: If this painful experience had some good outcome, I think meeting some wonderful kind human beings during my detention was one of the best outcomes. And I would say I lived in three different parts, so I think I interacted with between 100 and 200 people. I saw some of the most kind and compassionate and good people in my life. I met in my life, majority were from Latin America. I was privileged that I spoke Spanish, so it was easy for me to communicate when I arrived there, they were already aware of my case, because the same day I got detained, there was a protest before in front of the DHS office in Blue Ash. So people welcomed me and respected me highly that also made it easy for me to talk to them and support to them and build a connection. I would say the majority of people that I met, and I keep repeating this everywhere I go, are not criminals. Actually, the statistics of the Butler County Commissioner said 70% of the is detainees in at the Butler County Jail, did not have any criminal record. And I would say the numbers are probably higher than that. I mean, at least the people that I met, the majority of them were here legally and documented people, in spite of the brutal way they got detained, they lost everything. They were just so loving to the United States. I didn't hear anyone saying anything negative. They still remember the good people they met. They still have good memories. They still, of course, they were angry at the government, but they did not hold any negative feelings towards the US and the people in the US. Many of them had very, very good and valid reasons to live in the US like they have an eminent threat if they go back. And some of them were here at student visa, and they just took the summer off, and then they got detained because of that, or someone was on a scholarship and one of the universities here, around here, and then the university was late in renewing his visa, and then he got detained. It was a great human interaction. People had very little, but gave too much.
You mentioned earlier that, you know, such a difficult part of your detention was that it just kept going on and on. You had no idea if you'd ever be released. At some points you lost hope that you would ever be released. Were you convinced that you would be sent back to Egypt? And what was your fear if that happened?
Soliman: Yeah, I think this was the worst part, although, you know, losing your freedom and dignity in jail is awful. But actually the most painful part, the most scary part, was every day I felt like I'm one day closer to getting deported to Egypt. And I know this administration did it before with people, I would say this was the thought that was chasing me when I go to bed, when I pray, when I eat. It was just ruining my life in jail. And I think sending me back to Egypt simply mean, meant I. A death sentence, and if I were very lucky, it will be a life sentence. The Egyptian government had a long history of killing and forcibly disappearing people in opposition. Many people were actually American citizens, and they died in the Egyptian prisons and many Canadian citizens got detained from the airport, and nobody know knew where they are. So I thought this will be the end.
You know, you said even up until the hour before you were released, you you weren't hopeful. It sounds like it was such a surprise when you learned you'd be released. What do you think made the difference in your case?
Soliman: To be honest, nobody knows for sure. Of course, we're all guessing. We're all trying to read, you know, between the lines, I would say this was the happiest moment in my life, and I'm not exaggerating. This was a shock that it took me a few days before I really believed that I was free and I was out of jail. I think what worked was first, lots of people prayed, and God answered their prayers. God always answered the prayers, prayers of the persecuted and and I know there are, there were many, many, many kind and righteous people were praying for me. Across all faith. I met many, many people that, after I got released, and they said, We don't actually pray usually, but we pray for you. So I think yes, there was a consensus that prayer, of course, and I think the when people did not just pray, I think if people just prayed, nothing would have happened. People raised their voices, people changed their anger and put it into action. There was a big movement calling for my release, protests, events all over the tri state, calling representatives. And I think all these noise, all these efforts, ended up landing in front of a wise person inside the Department of Homeland Security. And I know there were lots of wise people, and I'm sure that what happened with me was not normal. So they probably just reviewed my case, and my case was clear as they lied. There was no no charges. There were no evidence on any violation.
You've been away from Egypt for such a long time now. Are you in touch with your wife and son there?
Soliman: Yes, I'm talking to my family. I have a big extended family back in Egypt, and I talk to them regularly, and I was even talking to them while I was detained.
That had to offer some comfort, some bit of comfort to be able to hear their voices and talk with them. Has this experience changed how you feel about the United States and about Greater Cincinnati.
Soliman: It definitely did for someone who got to experience this traumatic experience, it's I was not fighting for my job or my house, I was fighting for my life, and somebody just tried to make me feel and believe that I don't belong here and there is no safe place. And to be completely honest, I don't know when or if I will ever call the United States home. It doesn't mean I hate this country. I love the people I met here. I love everything. But this government was was very good at traumatizing people that I'm not sure if I'll call America home, but I am certain that I'll call Cincinnati and Christ at home. People here give me a million reasons to love them and to stay here forever.
Are you at all worried about speaking out about what happened to you?
Soliman: Well, to be honest, everybody should be worried right now, even people who are US citizens, this is scary time. Freedom of speech. I don't think freedom of speech is something that people are certain that they will live the life peacefully after they speak up. I'm definitely worried, and I try to choose my words, but at the same time, I don't think it is ethical to just remain silent and not talk about the violations at the Butler County Jail.
And is that, are you speaking out for you, or at this point, are you more concerned about the people who are still detained there?
Soliman: I was lucky that I had. Some kind and compassionate individuals who spoke for me. So I think it's fair now to just use my voice, since I'm a very unique case like, as you said at the beginning, we don't have that many people who were lucky enough to leave the jail and go back to the normal life. So I try to speak for those people, and I hope, I hope these people in power would listen to this and just try to look into these people's cases with justice and also treat these people well.
We heard so much during your detention about the impact of your work as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, I know you lost that position when you lost your asylum status. Initially, what's next for you? Do you think you might go back to that work? What are your What are your plans for the future?
Soliman: To be honest, since I got released, I was focusing into things, as I said, before taking care of myself and trying to get over these scars and wounds that I had, then also speak up for those ones that I left behind. I'm certain that the future will be serving my community in any capacity. This is what I like to do. This is what I'm passionate about, and that is what I'm good at. So I'll serve with my community in any capacity.
I've been talking with imam Ayman Soliman. Thank you so much for your time today.
It's been a pleasure.