For roughly 100 days, Thomas says he faced harsh detention conditions, despite agreeing to deportation

Thomas, a 35-year-old tech worker and father of three from Ireland, came to West Virginia to visit his girlfriend last fall. It was one of many trips he had taken to the US, and he was authorized to travel under a visa waiver program that allows tourists to stay in the country for 90 days.

He had planned to return to Ireland in December, but was briefly unable to fly due to a health issue, his medical records show. He was only three days overdue to leave the US when an encounter with police landed him in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) custody.

From there, what should have been a minor incident became a nightmarish ordeal: he was detained by Ice in three different facilities, ultimately spending roughly 100 days behind bars with little understanding of why he was being held – or when he’d get out.

  • The_v@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    I know several people with dual citizenship Canadian/U.S. who have moved from the U.S. to Canada in the past several months.

    I just figured out a path for me to gain Mexican permanent resident and eventually Mexican citizenship if needed. It will take some time but with how this country is going, My wife and I need an escape route.

    • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca
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      14 hours ago

      If you have an escape route available, I suggest getting it prepared now. Hopefully you won’t need it, but it’s better to be prepared than not.

      • The_v@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        If only the dumbfucks with the stupid slogans like “love it or leave it” knew just how difficult and costly it is to legally move to another country. Unless you have money, work in a high demand job or have family connections it’s fucking difficult or close to impossible to do.

        Most of the dumbfucks have no way to legally move to any other country legally.

    • rumba@lemmy.zip
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      17 hours ago

      Fam has researched the same things, but have worried that Mexcico might not be far enough.

      Also some worry that the locals might take it out on expats if it becomes a war.

      • Revan343@lemmy.ca
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        14 hours ago

        Also some worry that the locals might take it out on expats if it becomes a war.

        Learn Spanish, and hope they focus on the gringos that only speak 'Murican