Demand ICE #FreeOusman

UPDATE: On May 19th, Ousman was granted a stay of deportation by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which means ICE cannot deport him until his appeals process is complete. This could take years.

Despite Governor Cuomo’s pardon and this stay of deportation, ICE and EOIR continue to deny Ousman his freedom.

This week—on the three year anniversary of his incarceration and on the holy day of Eid Al-Adha—is the perfect time for us to turn up the heat and demand Ousman be reunited with this family.

This past May, Ousman Darboe—a 26-year-old undocumented Black Muslim from the Bronx—began his third Ramadan in ICE detention at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey. Like many Dreamers, Ousman has lived in the United States since he was a child. He has a wife and a 2-year-old daughter who he's only held in his arms twice.

Despite already receiving a rare gubernatorial pardon from Gov. Andrew Cuomo this past February, letters from Congress in support of his release, a stay of deportation from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and a parole request sitting on their desk, ICE still refuses to release Ousman.

And if that weren't enough, COVID-19 is ravaging jails and prisons across the country—including Bergen County Jail—which had the first reported case of COVID-19 in any ICE detention facility nationwide. Conditions at the Bergen County Jail are inhumane: there is no air conditioning, causing dangerously hot temperatures for people who are locked in their cells without ventilation. These horrific conditions pose a catastrophic public health risk that violate the human rights of imprisoned people.

That’s why this on the holy day of Eid Al-Adha and beyond, MPower Change, Freedom to Thrive, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, and more have come together to ensure ICE #FreeOusman and reunite him with his baby daughter, his wife, and the rest of his family in the Bronx.

Send an email to ICE Field Office Director Thomas Decker, Deputy Field Office Director Darius Reeves, and ICE SDDO Hector Medina, demanding his release NOW.

Demand ICE #FreeOusman

First Name *

Last Name *

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Thomas Decker (ICE Field Office Director)

Hector Medina (Assistant Field Office Director)

Darius L. Reeves (Deputy Field Office Director)

Your Letter *

I'm writing to you about the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis at the Bergen County Jail and to ask for the immediate release of Ousman Darboe, a 26-year-old Black Muslim father, husband, son, and brother. As of July 31, 2020, Mr. Darboe has been incarcerated by ICE for three years as he fights to reunite with his family in the Bronx. Like many Dreamers, Mr. Darboe has lived in the United States since he was a child and the United States is his home. He has a U.S. citizen wife and a 2-year-old daughter who he's only held in his arms twice due to family separation by ICE incarceration. Mr. Darboe must be released from ICE custody so he can immediately reunite with his family, who are struggling to survive in his absence as the COVID-19 pandemic devastates Black communities nationwide.
 
Keeping anyone incarcerated when there is an uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 in ICE detention centers across the United States is immoral. Conditions at the Bergen County Jail, where Mr. Darboe is incarcerated, are inhumane and torturous: there has been repeatedly failing air conditioning, causing dangerously hot temperatures for people who are locked in their cells without ventilation for almost the entire day. Bergen County Jail also has a long history of negligent treatment of people in ICE custody: last summer the jail had the same problem of no air conditioning, and at one point during the COVID-19 outbreak, people at the Bergen County Jail were served food with a dead rat carcass. Currently, people incarcerated at the Bergen County Jail are not being provided enough soap, hand sanitizer, or other basic necessities to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
 
There's no reason to incarcerate Mr. Darboe and to put his and his family’s lives at risk: his only criminal conviction was pardoned by Governor Andrew Cuomo this past February. In May, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals granted Mr. Darboe a stay of deportation on the basis that Mr. Darboe is likely to win his case on appeal and would suffer irreparable harm if he were deported. The Second Circuit’s stay guarantees that ICE cannot deport Mr. Darboe until his appeals process resolves, which could take years.
 
Mr. Darboe should not be required to fight to reunite with his family from a cage. Pursuant to INA § 212(d)(5)(A), ICE has the inherent power to release people in detention for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. ICE must exercise this power as authorized by Congress and release Mr. Darboe because Mr. Darboe’s life matters and the life of his Black wife and Black daughter matter. Friday, July 31st will mark 3 years of Ousman's incarceration and the start of Eid Al-Adha, a Holy day for Muslims across the world. I demand you #FreeOusman and reunite him with his family.

Sincerely,

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