Metro

A Harvard-educated doctor who came from Egypt to the United States a decade ago to complete his education now finds his career in danger after being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and placed in the Moshannon Valley Processing Center located in Clearfield County.

The doctor, Abdelaziz Fahmi Mandisha, in a petition filed late last week, has asked the federal court in Johnstown to take jurisdiction of his case and to order his release on his own recognizance.

Also in his petition, filed by Bryn Mawr attorney Todd M. Mosser, the doctor is seeking a federal court order prohibiting ICE and Moshannon Valley from transferring him while his Johnstown case is under review.

The initial review of the Mandisha petition will be conducted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith A. Pesto.

According to the petition, Mandisha entered the United States on a lawful visa in 2015 and, within a year, applied for asylum.

Mandisha in the past decade has been “incredibly successful,” but since his incarceration in May, he “now must surmount a career that is about to be left in shambles,” the petition stated.

After Mandisha’s arrest, his job as the chief commercial officer of a cancer diagnostics company that performs testing for cancer patients was terminated.

The petition points out that he and his fiancee, an American citizen, are facing financial hardships, and his ability to be close to a son from a previous marriage is being affected.

“Thus, at this point, Mandisha’s well-earned career, at which he was extremely successful, and which made positive contributions to society, has been harmed,” according to the petition.

“The longer Mandisha remains detained, the less likely it becomes that he will be able to resurrect his professional endeavors,” it noted.

“The time for Mandisha’s day in court should be now, not months or even a year from now during which his life gets destroyed with each passing,” his attorney related.

Mandisha came to the United States in January 2015 on a B-1 Visa, which permits a non-immigrant to visit the country, which in Madisha’s case was to attend Harvard University.

Within months, he applied for asylum, fearing religious and political persecution in Egypt.

He also obtained a work permit, which, according to his petition, enabled him to become employed.

But, as he tells his story, his marriage at the time was contentious due to religious differences.

His then-wife in California filed domestic charges against him, to which he entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor, a non-deportable offense.

He now has a fiancee and plans to have custodial time with a son from his previous marriage.

According to his petition, Mandisha on May 22, 2025, had an asylum interview, which lasted four hours.

After the interview, ICE agents took him into custody.

The petition explained that ICE is contending he did not attend the interview, which, it stated, “was obviously false because that is where he was detained.”

Mandisha and his attorney, who could not be reached for comment, indicated his initial request for emergency bond was denied because of his no-contest plea that occurred nine years ago.

He is now seeking federal court intervention, contending his right to due process has been violated.

He is also contending federal agents violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which prohibits “arbitrary and capricious” actions by federal agencies.