By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – A San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN), has filed a letter of objection with the U.S. Department of Justice challenging the Council of American Islamic Relations-California as an agency qualified to help Afghan refugees to settle in the United States.
IAN CEO Susan George of San Francisco and Board Member Julie Marzouk of Irvine signed a 10-page single-spaced typed complaint on Thursday, March 13, requesting that the DOJ conduct a forensic audit to determine how CAIR-California accounted for millions of dollars in public funds it previously administered in the program.
Before DOJ recertifies CAIR-California as an administrator for the refugee program, it should also determine whether CAIR’S outspoken verbal support of Hamas is in the public interest, Marzouk told San Diego Jewish World.
“Given the financial discrepancies in CAIR-CA’s tax returns, its failure to comply with grant requirements, and its documented support for terrorism, the DOJ should formally terminate CAIR-CA’s EOIR [Executive Office of Immigration Review] accreditation – which expired on February 22, 2025 – and deny its pending recertification,” the IAN letter said.
CAIR-CA received a federal grant of $7,217, 968.44 through the State of California for legal assistance to Afghan newcomers. Another $2,627,261 was awarded to CAIR-CA under the state’s Stop the Hate program. California chipped in another $595,300 for immigration services.
Total for these three awards was $10, 440,529.44.
IAN questioned whether CAIR-CA could legally subcontract responsibility for the Afghan resettlement program to CAIR of Greater Los Angeles “which is not a federal tax-exempt recognized organization.” IAN also alleged that CAIR-CA reported helping only a fraction of the refugees its grant application estimated it would help.
The letter listed several instances of alleged support for terrorism: “Following the October 7, 2024 terrorist attacks in Israel where approximately 1200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken hostage, CAIR’s founder and national Executive Director, Nihad Awad, publicly expressed his happiness over the events. Indeed, Nihad Awad has a long association with Hamas having publicly stated over 30 years ago, ‘I am in support of the Hamas movement.’”
Leaders of the California CAIR expressed similar statements, according to the letter. “After the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush asserted that ‘Israel should be attacked.’ On October 7, Zahra Billo, CAIR-CA Executive Director-San Francisco Bay Area, referred to the Hamas attacks as ‘decolonization.’ In July 2024, she praised deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, a U.S.-designated Specially Designated Global Terrorist who was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department for conspiracy to murder American nationals.”
CAIR-CA did not respond to requests from media organizations, including the New York Post, for comment.
Marzouk told San Diego Jewish World: “It should not be acceptable for the State of California to give taxpayer dollars to an organization that publicly supports terrorism … They have many public statements endorsing the actions of Hamas against civilians on Oct. 7 and a celebration of those atrocities,” Marzouk said. “Is granting this special immigration status to such an organization in the public interest?”
She also stated: “Both the federal government and the state government are attempting to help undocumented Afghan refugees and if the money is not being used in this way, it would be a violation of public trust.”
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.