Family of deported Georgia Army veteran urges officials to reopen case: "We just need ... one chance to be heard"
The family and attorney of Godfrey Wade—a Georgia Army veteran deported to Jamaica after a routine traffic stop, during which he was found to be driving on a suspended license and with an expired Green Card—are now urging the Board of Immigration Appeals to review his case.
In an interview with CBS News Atlanta, Wade, an Army veteran who served four years in active duty in the eighties, says his case never appeared before an immigration judge due to a court order on a separate legal matter that was sent to the wrong address, ultimately leaving Wade without the opportunity to challenge the grounds for his removal.
"We just need one hearing, one opportunity, one chance to be heard," Wade told CBS News Atlanta from a home in Jamaica. "It doesn't have to be a day. It could be one hour. Just so somebody can say, 'Hey, let's pick this apart. Let's see if his offenses are actually deemed deportable.'"
Wade's attorney, Tony Kozycki, says he is pursuing multiple avenues to speed up Wade's return to the United States and reopen the case.
"We are actively engaging with members of Congress," Kozycki said. "There is a mechanism in our system that would allow an extraordinary case just like this one to be recognized. We are pursuing a private bill that would allow this case to be reopened so that this United States Army veteran can get his day in court."
For now, Wade remains in Jamaica, waiting for the appeals process to move forward. Kozycki said Wade had not lived in the country since childhood, more than five decades ago, and has had to rebuild basic support from scratch.
"Godfrey was returned to a country that he hadn't been to since he was a child," Kozycki said. "He has thankfully found some extended family members. He was originally living in Kingston, and has now moved to a northern region of Jamaica because he's trying to find a facility that can house him more long term as this process plays out."
