Libertarian Party activist Islam “Izzy” Aly has been released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, according to supporters who advocated for him since he was first detained and shared photos of him following his release.
Supporters began sharing details on social media on June 19 that Aly was being released from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, a privately operated immigration detention facility in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, where he had been held since first being detained in late December. Those same supporters said Aly would be returning to Florida while continuing to attend hearings connected to his case.
“Though he’s not out of the woods legally, he’s free from DHS confinement,” LPAlliance, an intra-caucus Libertarian coalition that has rallied support for Aly over the months, wrote in one such post announcing his release.
Photos of Aly following his release also circulated over the weekend, including a photo of him shared by Tony D’Orazio, a former New York Libertarian leader who now lives in Pennsylvania and chairs an organizing Clearfield County Libertarian affiliate near the facility. “We are right to be opposed to these detention centers,” D’Orazio wrote in his own post. “They are the opposite of the liberty we fight for. They are human suffering for profit. And escaping from that is a good reason to be so visibly happy.”
Another image showed Aly meeting with Democratic U.S. Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. Lee, an outspoken critic of conditions at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, conducted an unannounced oversight visit inside the facility along with Rep. Chris Deluzio of the 17th Congressional District earlier this year, stating at the time she was given “a pretty sanitized tour.”
Aly, also known as Islam Mahmoud Aly and “Izzy,” is an Orlando-area libertarian activist and Egyptian national who has been active as a volunteer for several years in libertarian political circles in Florida. He also owns Kronotiq Media, a media consulting firm operating out of the state that specializes in the production of audio and music, graphics, and entertainment software.
A friend of Aly first told Independent Political Report earlier this year that Aly was detained by ICE officers on December 22 after arriving at a U.S. airport following a trip to Egypt, where he had traveled to settle matters related to his late father’s estate and was reportedly delayed for several months due to difficulties renewing his passport. Aly was later transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, where IPR was able to locate him through a system associated with the facility.
Aly’s plight quickly spread around Libertarian circles, eventually reaching the Libertarian National Committee, which approved a resolution in April with over three-fourths of the full committee present calling for his immediate release and condemning ICE and the Department of Homeland Security over his detention. The resolution was introduced by then-Region 3 South Rep. Keith Thompson, who said at the time he hoped the party would voluntarily unite behind Aly’s case.
The resolution further alleged that Aly had been diagnosed with stage-three chronic kidney disease while in detention but was not informed of the condition for roughly two months, delaying treatment and increasing the risk of further progression, something IPR also independently heard from Aly’s supporters. It said that Aly had also lost his personal belongings as a result of his time in the center.
“Be it finally resolved that the Libertarian National Committee urges all members, affiliates, and allies to support captives such as Mr. Aly through public advocacy, community solidarity, attendance at organized protests, and through direct support to their legal defense,” the resolution read.
While Aly’s supporters have not shared many specifics on the current state of his immigration case since his release, a May 12 update posted to a fundraiser for Aly said an immigration judge had denied his green card application and ordered him removed from the United States, giving him 30 days to appeal before the order became final. The GoFundMe later showed the appeal had been fully funded as of June 11, with supporters raising more than $12,000.
Details from the Executive Office for Immigration Review verified that Aly’s appeal was received as of June 17, with no additional updates at this time. Those same details also confirm that an order of removal had been entered.
Editorial note: The GoFundMe organizer is J. Mark Barfield, a board member of the Outsider Media Foundation, which publishes Independent Political Report. Neither OMF nor IPR is involved with the fundraiser.
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