Utah judge wants to know what happens to refugee convicted of sex assault and facing deportation

A Somali refugee who was sentenced to probation after serving six years in a juvenile facility will remain in federal custody while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials decide whether to deport him.

Mohammed Ali Mohammed, 20, sexually assaulted two women at knifepoint on consecutive nights in Salt Lake City when he was 14. He attacked one woman who was standing outside her home, and, on the following night, broke into another woman’s home and assaulted her there before demanding she go to an ATM and withdraw $400 for him.

During a sentencing hearing Nov. 27, employees from the Wasatch Youth Center where Mohammad served his juvenile time praised the man’s efforts to reform while in custody. They said he has worked to understand empathy and take responsibility for his actions. He became a leader at the detention center, they said.

When originally sentenced, Mohammed received a “blended” sentence in which he was ordered to serve juvenile time but the judge retained jurisdiction of his case, including the ability to sentence him as an adult when he aged out of the juvenile system. Mohammed will turn 21 this month, putting him into the adult system.

In November, 3rd District Judge Vernice Trease appeared to believe the Wasatch Youth Center staff, sentencing Mohammed to probation.

But Mohammed wasn’t present in her courtroom Friday for a review hearing. His attorney, Ray Shuey, said Mohammed was picked up by ICE agents. Despite being in the country legally, Mohammed is now an aggravated felon and eligible for deportation.

Shuey said it could be three to nine months before ICE decides whether to deport his client.

Trease asked Shuey to keep an eye on the deportation process. She said in her experience, ICE can sometimes relocate people in their custody to another state and release them rather than deport them. If Mohammed is released, she wants to know right away so review of his probation can continue.

Shuey agreed to track Mohammed’s whereabouts. He declined to comment on the situation after the hearing.

The prosecution has lost track of one of Mohammed’s victims, but the other advocated for prison time at Mohammed’s sentencing. Her attorney, Spencer Banks, said in an email Friday that she would also be in favor of deportation.

“If he’s deported it would be a huge sense of relief to her,” he said.