Detained Georgia veteran deserves to stay in US after serving country, fiancee says

Key Highlights

• “That is the hope for not only him but for any veteran who sits in a detention center.
• Look at their service that they gave this country and take that into consideration.”Wade, a grandfather and US army veteran, was arrested for driving without a license in September and was then taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency tasked with carrying out Trump’s “mass deportation” program, local outlet KENS5 reported.
• He has been in ICE detention since. Wade’s case is emblematic of a rising number of non-US citizen military veterans swept up by ICE under Trump’s immigration policies.
• The Biden administration had previously issued an ICE directive that helped protect non-citizen veterans and also issued an executive order that later created an initiative to help return deported veterans and their families. The Trump administration rescinded the ICE directive after his second presidency began in January. Non-citizens are eligible to join the US military.
• Wade, 65, came to the US from Jamaica at 15 years old, eventually joined the army and earned commendations for wartime service as well as good conduct, as KENS5 reported. He later received multiple college degrees and worked multiple jobs throughout his time in the US.