Say it one more time: #FreeOusman
UPDATE 2: On Friday, September 11, Ousman will have a habeas hearing before a federal district court judge to get out of ICE detention.
As many of you know, Ousman has been detained by ICE for over three years, despite a stay of deportation from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, a gubernatorial pardon from Governor Cuomo, and extensive support from city, state, and federal elected officials.
Despite ICE's efforts to argue that Ousman's release is not in the "public's interest", we know that his community in NYC wants him home.
This twitter storm is our last push before the hearing. We want the Bergen County Executive, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, and ICE to know that we are watching and we won't allow them to detain Ousman (or anyone) in dangerous, punitive conditions in the Bergen County Jail when COVID-19 runs rampant in jails, prisons, and detention facilities across the country.
Take 2 minutes to show up for Ousman ahead of his hearing: Tweet at Bergen County Executive, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office, and ICE. Demand they #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.
Call ICE Field Office Director Thomas Decker, Deputy Field Office Director Darius Reeves, and ICE SDDO Hector Medina to demand his release NOW.
