Their loved ones are gathering together to help their Southern California father, who has been detained by immigration officers, leaving their pregnant wife and two children alone.
Moe Rahman, 34, lives in Orange County and has been married to his wife for 10 years. He was born in Bangladesh and his family moved to the US when he was four years old.
His family arrived on the visitor’s visa, and they also sought asylum from their home country due to political turmoil. In 1997, his family was ordered to be deported. They filed an appeal but failed and were taken into custody by officials in 2008.
Mo Rahman is seen along with his wife, Ashanti Miner and his children. (Ashanti Minor) Moe Rahman is seen along with his wife and daughter. (Ashanti Minor) Moe Rahman (second from right) is seen with a friend in a personal photo. Adelanto Ice Processing Center in Adelanto, San Bernardino County, California. (KTLA) Moe Rahman (3rd from left) is seen with a friend in a personal photo. Moe Rahman (3rd from left) is seen with a friend in a personal photo.
After fighting to stay in the United States, they were released under supervision with necessary regular check-in with US immigration and customs enforcement.
Over the years, Rahman has attended all check-in appointments. He worked with lawyers for years to gain legal status.
On May 7, Rahman appointed regular check-in appointments in Santa Ana. However, instead of receiving updates on his immigration case, he was detained on ice and moved to an Adelanto facility.
“It was probably the worst day of my life,” Rahman’s wife, Ashanti Minor, told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson. “I felt very helpless. We thought the chances of him being detained could be very small because he has no criminal history and we are actively trying to adjust his position.”
Now, the young father is facing deportation. Friends and community members come together to find a solution.
“I don’t have a life there,” Rahman said of his birth country. “I don’t have a home or family. I don’t speak any language. I don’t read or write or write it, so I don’t do anything.”
Rahman’s friend Juan Atachagua reportedly his young father was never notified of his rights when he handcuffed him and took away his cell phone and personal belongings.
“Unfortunately, treatment is considered a criminal, which is a shame because immigrants are not criminals,” Rahman said. “We’re just here to adjust our status.”
“He’s reliable, adorable, and he’s a family man,” said Rahman’s childhood friend Sahar Gaemi. “To see him go through something like this is devastating and frustrating.”
Since some of Rahman’s family have been able to gain legal status, Rahman hopes to be able to resolve his case without facing deportation.
Minor, who is pregnant and has been caring for two children since her husband’s detention, said she is irritated and scared of her future.
Her biggest fear is that she has to uproot her whole family abroad, that they know nothing.
“This is just as my country as he is,” Minor said. “We spent the same time here.”
Rahman’s lawyers have filed a request for an emergency stay and said they are waiting for a response from the Immigration Committee’s appeals committee.
KTLA contacted ICE staff for more details or comment on the Rahman case, but was told there were no updates to share at this time.
Source link