What’s happening to 24 year old Andy Mathe and his family is really disturbing and a sign of the lengths that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will go through in order to keep up with it’s record breaking deportation numbers.
Here since he was 19, Andy has been in detention for the last month waiting to be deported to South Africa. His family’s story is complicated and exemplifies the problems not just with the deportation system but with the asylum system.
Andy’s step-father fled Rwanda during the genocide, in 2001 he would marry Andy’s mother, Hope, and have a child. The family was enjoying their life in South Africa until they began receiving death threats in the form of personalized letters, phone calls and at one point an attempt to kidnap the youngest daughter. The family appealed to the United Nations, the local police, pretty much anyone who would listen.
After having her pleas for help rejected the family took things into their own hands with Andy’s stepfather disassociating himself from the family and his mother applying for visas to the United States. Once in Georgia they immediately filed for Asylum, a case which would take four years and end in Andy’s detention. To this day the family has not heard or seen their father.
Last week, Andy was extremely close to being deported. An ICE agent frustrated by the fact that so far Andy has been successful in avoiding deportation told Andy, ” ‘next time we will drug you and deport you.”
You can sign the petition asking that Andy not be deported here.
You can also call DHS – Janet Napolitano (202-282-8495) and ICE – John Morton (202.732.3000)
Sample Script: “I am calling to ask that Andy Mathe (A#88-488-386) and his family be allowed to stay. I don’t understand why ICE would threaten to drug Andy so he couldn’t fight his deportation. Please grant deferred action for the Mathe Family.”
http://www.jailbase.com/en/arrested/ga-fcso/2011-05-03/andy-b-mathe-1114986
looks like he was arrested for theft by taking as well as immigration. committing a felony is good way to get deported. do you know anything about his arrest?
Hola Junk y thank you for commenting/asking.
Personally, someone being arrested does not mean they should be deported. So no, I don’t know anything about his arrest, nor should it matter.
More facts would be helpful to his case, regardless of whether he should or should not be deported because of why he was arrested. For example, the more sympathetic the facts are, the more weight that can be put behind the push to stop his deportation.
Legally, I understand what you are saying. As a human being, it makes me hate the system more
Pues, the system is rotten, and that cannot be overlooked. Yet when there is relief within the system, it must be pursued as vigorously as possible, even if it is contrary to one’s justified disgust at the system.
Oh yeah, I hope it didn’t read that I didn’t think he should get relief.
Andy has no felon or criminal history. He was wrongfully arrested, but had the charges against him dismissed in the court of law. Immigration have a record of the dismissal. Being charged of a crime does not necessarily make one a guilty party.
Thank you Aimmehope
Where did you get those facts from, Aimmehope? And why is this stuff left out of all the petitions to help his case (which I signed). It would be helpful if you could post a link to verify those facts.
Andre , Good morning and can I ask a question? Why is knowing these facts important for you? How does it impact your response/reaction?
Maagan,
Why should we ignore the facts? There are hundreds of thousands of immigrants (legal or otherwise) living in the US who are being vilified because of the actions by a small minority. When right-wing crack-pots make arguments like, “Immigrants are the ones committing crimes”, etc. they point to cases like Andy Mathe’s to support their rhetoric.
I will stand with you and fight for doing the right thing when “doing the right thing” is warranted. However, if an individual asks for asylum and then violates the laws of the very country that granted it… I don’t have much compassion left.
The facts of Andy Mathe’s arrest and conviction are, indeed, relevant. And it should be for everyone who is truly interested in arguing for the rights of immigrants.
David,
Good morning. I am not arguing ignoring the facts. What I am doing is questioning the way the facts are introduced and used.
Maegan
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