Ahusband and father of four from Michigan who arrived in the United States over 50 years ago on a green card has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainment for nearly a month, according to the man’s family.
Newsweek reached out via email to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Nael Shamma, a 58-year-old Palestinian from Burton, Michigan, was getting his wife, Christina, a cup of coffee when an unmarked car reportedly pulled in front of the family’s home and took him into custody, according to Flint news station ABC12.
Shamma’s detention sparks questions about the Trump administration’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown, which has included apprehending both criminals and non-violent offenders alike. ICE and DHS have remained adamant that immigrants who possess a green card are provided “a privilege, not a right,” and that the government has the authority to revoke a green card if laws are broken or abused.
What To Know
An ICE spokesperson told The Detroit News that Shamma “has a two-decade-long rap sheet” that includes breaking and entering, armed violence and aggravated battery.
“He freely admitted to ICE officers he ‘ran’ with the Latin Kings street gang in Chicago in the 1980s and has had a final order of removal since 1989,” they said.
Christina Shamma stated that her husband has resided in the U.S. for over five decades and has consistently complied with reporting requirements. His green card was revoked in his 20s when he went to prison for assault, resulting in annual check-ins since 2012, according to The Detroit News.
“He was ordered to report once a year,” she told ABC12. “He just reported in May. They told him everything was fine.”
Nael has been held at The North Lake Processing Center in West Michigan.
Shamma’s niece, Sara Haddad, told The Detroit News that ICE attempted and failed to deport him in 2012 after Israeli officials wouldn’t sign off. Shamma was born in Jerusalem one year before Israel took control of the city, effectively leaving him “stateless,” according to news outlet MLive.
Haddad said that she is fearful that her uncle will be deported to Gaza. Sending him to the wartorn area “would be sending him to death,” she said.
“It’s been very, very hard on everyone,” she told The Detroit News. “We love him so much, and he really helps take care of everyone.”
Newsweek reached out to Haddad via email for comment.
Haddad is listed as the petitioner on both a Change.org petition for Shamma and a GoFundMe that has raised more than $3,400 from 51 donations as of Thursday morning.
The pages state that Shamma is the third oldest of seven siblings, came to the U.S. at the age of 9, and has four children and two grandchildren. He’s described as “a hardworking man” who provides for his family and the “kind of person who doesn’t wait to be asked for help.”
“He is a proud American, even if the government hasn’t always seen him that way,” the Change.org petition reads. “He pays his taxes. He contributes to his community. He comes home to his two dogs, plays with his grandkids, and tries to be the best man he can be. And yet, ICE ripped him from his family without warning.
“They came to his home—a home he worked hard to earn—and took him away from the people who love and depend on him. There was no crime, no threat, no reason for such cruelty. Just a sudden, violent separation that has left his children, wife and elderly parents reeling. One moment he was feeding the dogs. The next, he was gone.”
What People Are Saying
An ICE spokesperson indicated to The Detroit News that the agency might send Shamma to a third country: “When an immigration judge orders an alien removed to a country that will not accept them, ICE coordinates with the State Department to look for a third country that will.”
What Happens Next
Shamma’s family has called for assistance from national and state lawmakers, including President Donald Trump, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Michigan U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, both Democrats.
https://www.newsweek.com/ice-detains-father-green-card-michigan-2124475