A leading fund-raiser for an Islamic charity with alleged links to the Palestinian militant group Hamas was ordered deported Tuesday.
An immigration judge ruled that Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, 44, should have known that his work for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development provided support for the group.
"Our laws prohibit aliens who are living here as our guests to use this country as a base to advocate terrorism or raise money for terrorist causes," said John Salter, Los Angeles chief counsel for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The judge did not name a country where Hamdan would be deported.
Hamdan, of Buena Park, was arrested on immigration violations in July as federal authorities unsealed an indictment against the Texas-based charity, charging it with funneling millions of dollars to Hamas.
Hamdan, who was not charged in that case, was charged with living in the U.S. without a valid visa and jailed without bail.
Hamdan, a founder of an Anaheim mosque who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, admitted acting as a fund-raiser for Holy Land, but said he believed the donations were used only for humanitarian projects.