Covington army veteran faces deportation after 50 years in U.S.: "Thank you for your service...should mean something"
A Covington Army veteran who has lived in the U.S. for more than 50 years faces imminent deportation.
Godfrey Wade, a Jamaican-born veteran, has been in ICE custody for nearly five months. His attorney says an emergency stay of removal was denied, but an appeal is pending.
Loved ones say Wade's years of military service should count for something. He's been missing from the home he shares with fiancée April Watkins, who says, "We've built an amazing life together, and to be separated from that is very challenging, especially since he did not have an opportunity to have his voice heard."
Wade is also absent from the lives of his six children and three grandchildren. "It's been an emotional roller coaster," said his daughter, Christian Wade, who described her own daughter crying at night for her grandfather.
Wade came to the U.S. lawfully in 1975 as a teenager. He enlisted in the Army, served overseas, and was honorably discharged. "That was his foundation, and he took pride in it and made us believe in the U.S. Army," said his daughter Emmanuela Wade.
He lived as a lawful permanent resident for decades, working as a chef, tennis coach, and fashion designer. "He's dipped his hands in everything that makes America good," Emmanuela said.
Wade's path to deportation began on Sept. 13, when he was pulled over for failing to use a turn signal in Conyers. He was arrested for driving without a license. Soon after, ICE detained him due to a 2014 removal order stemming from a 2007 bounced check and a 2006 simple assault charge. According to his attorney, the assault involved a domestic argument where "a glass of milk was spilled and pots and pans were knocked to the floor. No physical violence was ever alleged." Wade paid the bounced check and related fines in full.
"Someone's old mistakes does not define who they are," Christian Wade said. "Understand the context. There's more to a story than just four words, and people need to see the humanity of the person."
Watkins added, "No one is perfect. He restituted the money. He has an amazing relationship with his children as well as his ex-wife."
Wade's attorney says the removal order was issued when Wade did not show up for a 2014 hearing he was never notified of. Court records show hearing notices sent to an address used by ICE were returned as undeliverable. Wade was unaware of the removal order until his arrest.
After his arrest, Wade was taken to Atlanta's ICE field office and then transferred to Stewart Detention Center. For months, loved ones made five-hour round trips to visit him, separated by plexiglass. Recently, Wade was moved to a detention center in Louisiana, and his attorney says he was placed on a flight manifest to Jamaica this week.
"You're on pins and needles because you don't know what's going to happen," Watkins said. "Am I gonna hear that he's in Jamaica? Do we need to figure out transportation, figure out clothes for him?" added Christian Wade.
ICE did not respond to requests for comment. Its online detainee search lists Wade as "in ICE custody" at Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. Because of the 2014 removal order, Wade has not had a hearing. His attorney has filed an appeal asking for his case to be reopened.
"What we are asking for is just that one hearing, that one chance, that one opportunity to be heard," Watkins said.
Wade's attorney says members of Congress from both parties have written to DHS urging the case be reopened. If DHS does not intervene, Wade could be deported within days.
"It's heartbreaking for him," Watkins said. "He's a very strong man of faith, and so his faith is that foundation, and with that, I'm able to lean on him, he's able to lean on me."
Behind bars, Wade's creativity shines in his drawings of other inmates, as his family fights for the chance to paint a picture of his life and service.
"You're not from this country, but you serve. You're willing to die for this country. That should matter," Watkins said.
"When we say thank you for your service, it should mean something," Christian Wade added.