Tipsheet

Of Course There's More to the Story About That Detained 'Former Cincinnati Children's Chaplain'

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  July 10, 2025 10:00 AM

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, blasted The Enquirer for a misleading headline concerning the detention of Imam Ayman Soliman.

Responding to a post on X from The Enquirer that read, “Cincinnati Children’s chaplain detained by ICE,” McLaughlin pointed out that what her “hometown paper…doesn’t want to tell you is this Egyptian national was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist.”  

Soliman came to the United States from Egypt about a decade ago, according to federal court records, and received asylum status in June 2018. His supporters, including local clergy, politicians and representatives from Ignite Peace, said he was fleeing persecution in Egypt and feared his life would be in danger if ICE sent him home. […]

While awaiting resolution of his asylum request, Soliman was permitted to work in the United States and spent at least some of that time as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's. He also has presided over services at the Clifton Mosque, according to the mosque's website.

Federal court documents indicate Soliman's family in Egypt had a pending request to join him in the United States.

Soliman sued federal officials several times in recent years, claiming in 2022 they had violated his constitutional rights and his privacy by disclosing "stigmatizing statements about him."

In one lawsuit, Soliman indicated that after applying for a job as a prison chaplain, he learned an "FBI flag" appeared on his background check. He said in the lawsuit that his fingerprints did not match prints that the check turned up on the government's terrorism screening database.

Soliman said he believes he was improperly targeted because of his Muslim faith.

The government, which presented no evidence that Soliman had engaged in illegal activity, disputed his accusations and denied wrongdoing. A judge dismissed some of Soliman's claims earlier this year, but two lawsuits remain unresolved. (The Enquirer)

While friends say he has expressed fear over being sent back to his home country, he still has family there, including a child. 

And here's the key detail the headline is missing. Soliman had his visa revoked by the Biden administration, but because the Trump administration is making immigration enforcement a key priority, this is being blamed on the current president. 

Although Soliman's asylum was revoked during President Joe Biden's administration, according to his supporters, immigration enforcement and deportations have increased under President Donald Trump. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, accused the Trump administration on July 9 of targeting Muslims for deportation. (The Enquirer)