US Army vet booted to Ja

Godfrey Wade, the 65-year-old United States (US) Army veteran who was detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility for months, has been deported to Jamaica.

Wade arrived in the island on Thursday.

Wade’s attorney, Tony Kozycki, who is based in the US, confirmed that his client was sent back to Jamaica and that his legal team was still fighting the deportation, securing petitions from prominent officials supporting him in overcoming his plight.

READ: ICE CUSTODY BATTLE

Wade reportedly served in several US Army deployments to four continents over an eight-year career, the majority of which saw him stationed in Germany; and for which he won several medals. After receiving an honourable discharge in 1992, Wade worked as a chef, an artist, and a fashion designer.

“We are still fighting the case. We are fighting to bring him back. He still has an active appeal pending, and this doesn’t stop that appeal or end the process,” said Kozycki. “We have petitioned members of the United States Congress to get on board and request that the government on its own bring him back.

“We have had some strong support for that, multiple representatives from both sides of our political parties are trying to help him. Two of them have written letters to the Department of Homeland Security urging them to reopen this case, and we are really asking the government to do it on their own,” he said.

If they do not, Kozycki explained, the legal process will dramatically slow down with him being out of the US, he noted, adding that there is hope the authorities may find favour in his many years of service as a US veteran.

UNIQUE CASE

“That is one of the largest equities in this case. Right now we are doing some things to people all over the place that are raising concerns. The fact that he is a US veteran I think is one thing that makes this very unique. This is one case that I think it is easy for everybody to get behind. Nobody wants this to happen to a US veteran,” he said.

“Ultimately, we are not asking him to have a status in the United States. We are asking for him to just have one day in court to present his case. He stood up and defended this country when it asked him, and we are just asking that the country allows him to defend himself,” said the attorney.

Wade was reportedly set to stay with relatives in St Mary but his location was not immediately available as he was without a personal cellular phone.

His daughter, Christian, shared mixed feelings about the situation.

“I am glad he is no longer suffering in a facility. Life after deportation is hard but we will keep fighting,” she said, adding that she spoke to her father upon arrival in Jamaica on Thursday.

“I’m not sure if he is actually in St Mary as yet but he will be staying with his uncle who has a home there. I know today the first priority was medical attention for him, and then he will be staying in St Mary. The fight never stops,” she said. “When I spoke to him, he sounded very relieved to be out and home, and he is excited to see us. So we are actually planning to fly to Jamaica soon to see him.”

In a telephone conversation in lockup last November, Wade explained that his fear was not necessarily deportation but being away from his children and grandchildren.

Despite his military service, several awards, and decades-long residence, he said becoming a citizen was never a priority for him. It is still not his main focus as, “after doing dirt for the United States government, it does not sit well with my conscience”.

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com