TIMES OF ISRAEL
by Jay Tcath
March 14, 2015

Fellow Chicagoan Rasmea Odeh was sentenced Thursday following a jury’s verdict that she lied on her application to become an American citizen. Though she’s appealing the ruling, the judge stripped her of her U.S. citizenship, sentenced her to 18 months in jail and ordered that she be immediately deported afterwards to Jordan. Her crime? Falsely claiming she had never been convicted or imprisoned. Ever. Answering that question truthfully is especially important post 9-11, particularly when the conviction and imprisonment was for terrorism. Odeh failed to reveal her conviction for masterminding a 1969 Jerusalem supermarket bombing that killed two university students. For good reason, everyone’s immigration and visa application requires disclosure of previous arrests, convictions or imprisonment. Not answering honestly is itself a criminal act. READ MORE