By Debbie Schlussel

Why did an aging Reagan-appointed federal judge grant U.S. Citizenship to a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a man whose mosque is tied to Al-Qaeda, and a man active in an organization that fundraised for HAMAS? Why did he grant citizenship to a man who lied to immigration officials about his association with a terrorist mosque, led by Anwar Al-Awlaki, who inspired several Al-Qaeda attacks on America, including the Fort Hood Massacre and the underwear bomb?

Over the years, I’ve written about the process of granting U.S. citizenship to applicants, and the fact that immigration adjudicators at U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services spend less than six minutes per applicant. That’s right–less then six minutes (and even less than that when you figure in the bathroom, smoking, and lunch breaks these government officials take) are spent scrutinizing whether or not an applicant for citizenship is a dangerous person–whether he or she has ties to Islamic terrorist groups, has a criminal record, and/or is otherwise undesirable as a U.S. citizen. Also, CIS immigration benefits adjudicators are urged to rubber stamp these applications for citizenship, and they get bonuses for the number of such applications they quickly get through (and approve). Given this system and these incentives, it’s highly unusual for USCIS officials to reject applications, especially for ties to Islamic terrorists. And, so, when USCIS rejects an application for citizenship based on that reason, it’s something to be taken seriously . . . and not to be overruled by a federal judge who hasn’t a clue.

Sadly, that’s what happened with the case of Jamal Abusamhadaneh (not to be confused with the late Palestinian terrorist leader Jamal Abu Samhadana–though same s–t, different day), an apparent member of the Muslim Brotherhood, parent organization of Al-Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, HAMAS, and assorted other Islamic terrorist groups. He found a dark angel in the form of U.S. Federal Judge James Cacheris, age 79 and long overdue for retirement (sadly, there is no forced retirement age for the federal bench).

A nearly five-year legal saga will conclude Thursday for Falls Church resident Jamal Abusamhadaneh when he takes the oath of citizenship at a federal courthouse, after a federal judge ruled that immigration authorities wrongly drew sinister conclusions about aspects of his Muslim faith. Abusamhadaneh’s naturalization follows last month’s unusual ruling that overturned the denial of his application by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

USCIS had denied the application and expressed concerns about Abusamhadaneh’s association with a prominent Virginia mosque and a purported link to the Muslim Brotherhood. U.S. District Judge James Cacheris, who heard three days of evidence at trial earlier this year and issued an unusually detailed 90-page ruling, will personally administer the oath Thursday. He said USCIS’ concerns on all counts were either unfounded or overblown. “Mr. Abusamhadaneh is a person of good moral character and meets the requirement for naturalization,” Cacheris wrote. . . .

A finding of good moral character is a requirement for citizenship, and that’s where USCIS contended the former IT worker with the Fairfax County Police Department fell short. Immigration officers contended that Abusamhadaneh lied by denying to interviewers his associations with the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in northern Virginia and the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that is banned in some countries.

The mosque that’s among the largest and most prominent in the region has been a subject of controversy for more than a decade, primarily because a former imam there, Anwar al-Awlaki, later left the country for Yemen and became a high-profile al-Qaida leader before he was killed in a drone strike.

A judge, though, found that Abusamhadaneh was truthful about his associations. In his initial interview, Abusamhadaneh followed advice from his first attorney, Ashraf Nubani, that he shouldn’t discuss his religious affiliations.

Note that his lawyer, Ashraf Nubani, who is tied to HAMAS CAIR, represented several convicted Islamic terrorists, including Abdurahman Alamoudi, Rabbih Haddad, and Randall T. “Ismail” Royer (a former top CAIR official).

USCIS, meanwhile, had an FBI report that linked Abusamhadaneh to the Brotherhood. At trial, it was revealed that the source of the FBI report was Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was Abusamhadaneh’s boss for several years at the American Muslim Council. Alamoudi, a prominent U.S. Muslim activist, is currently serving a prison sentence for participating in a Libyan plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah.

Alamoudi testified that, in his view, Dar al-Hijrah is linked with the Muslim Brotherhood and that the Muslim American Society — which organized community events in which Abusamhadaneh and his family participated — is essentially the U.S. branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

I’ve written a lot about Alamoudi and his defunct organization, American Muslim Council, over the years. Alamoudi was caught by officials at an airport, carrying a briefcase of cash he was transporting to HAMAS terrorists. Fundraising for HAMAS, via the Holy Land Foundation, is one of the reasons his AMC was shut down. That Abusamhadaneh worked for him should have been enough for any judge to see that this guy not only shouldn’t get U.S. citizenship, but he should have been deported or imprisoned long ago for terrorism financing. Now, he’s a U.S. citizen and laughing at us. Even scarier is that this schmuck had access to law enforcement computers and information as an IT worker for the Fairfax County Police.

Crystal Williams, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said it’s rare for a judge to grant citizenship outright after USCIS rejects a naturalization application. More often, applicants turn to the courts seeking action on long-delayed applications.

This case sets a dangerous precedent and encourages Islamic terrorists to get ignorant federal judges to overlook the process and grant Islamic terrorists citizenship.

A federal immigration official friend of mine notes:

This is how they will kick our asses.

To have a judge jump in and correct is unprecedented. This will eventually reverberate back into internal immigration benefits policies, regarding who is granted citizenship and who isn’t. I predict that future generations will marvel at the antiquated concept of immigration enforcement much like children of today with respect the slavery in this country.

The U.S. Border Patrol was created on May 5, 1924. I don’t think it will make it to the 100-year mark. There will soon be one armed, uniformed border presence . . . focusing on chocolate eggs, Cuban cigars, and firecrackers [not illegal aliens, who will all be legal and have free passage].

Spot on. After all, why have a Border Patrol or fight Islamic terrorism, when we are just granting Islamic terrorists citizenship upon the whim of a decrepit old judge who’s clearly lost it?

America as we know it will likely cease to exist sooner than you think. It may retain the same name, but it’ll be a wholly different place. It already is.

And don’t count on that to reverse course, no matter who is elected in November.

If Jamal Abusamhadaneh can become a U.S. Citizen–and he did, then why don’t we just open the floodgates?