USF student trial more complex than some think

The case of Youssef Megahed is enough to leave most of us trying to figure out what's right and what's wrong. Megahed was found innocent on terrorism charges, and then a court said he couldn't be deported. But was justice done?

Megahed was caught in 2007 with what prosecutors say were explosives in his trunk. He claims he didn't even know what was in his friend's trunk and that they were fireworks. The Egyptian native was arrested.

He was found innocent at trial. Immigration then decided to deport him, and the University of Southern Florida student took that to court and won. The government can appeal deportation, but according to a Tampa Tribune story, Magahed just wants to get on with his life.

Most Americans believe that if our judicial system finds a person innocent, then that's it. We believe that too, but we also believe that there are special circumstances in this case that deserve more consideration.

Some people will claim that using his Egyptian background as a basis for pulling over the car he was in was wrong. Possibly. But what about the explosives found in the trunk? Does that count for anything?

If you are a non-citizen of our country, from a country that has ties to terrorism, in this post 9-11 world, wouldn't you be extremely careful? And wouldn't Americans also be extremely careful as well. After all, we had more than 3,000 of our people killed in an attack on our own soil. So forgive us if we're a little cautious.

Perhaps the legal case against Megahed was flawed. We do want justice to be done, so finding him innocent was, perhaps, the right thing. But America should always have the right to deport non-citizens if there is legitimate concern. Finding explosives in the trunk fits that bill.

We don't want witch hunts for any foreigners from Middle East countries. They deserve dignity and to be treated fairly. America, however, does have the right to protect itself. Cases like this remind us of how complex those issues really are.