Immigration officials free gay Ethiopian man after 2 months
by TeferiBy Maria Sacchetti | Globe Staff March 31, 2014
US immigration officials released a gay Ethiopian man without bail on Monday, two weeks after the Globe reported that he was facing deportation to a nation in Africa where same-sex conduct could land him in prison.
The
19-year-old had been jailed since January, shortly after he lost his
student visa, reportedly because of low grades. Though it was unclear
whether immigration officers knew that he is gay, the man had told
friends and posted it online, disclosures the man’s uncle said could
endanger him back home.
Gay
people in Ethiopia face abuse and even prison time for offenses related
to same-sex conduct, according to Amnesty International.
“I’m
ecstatic that he’s out,” said Todd Williams, a gay Republican running
for state Senate in Worcester, and one of two people the young man had
told that he is gay. “Now we’re the process of getting him asylum.”
Advocates
for immigrants had said the Ethiopian man’s case reflected the risks in
the US immigration system, which does not assign public defenders to
people facing deportation. During his initial hearings, the man did not
have a lawyer and did not seek asylum in immigration court. The
immigration judge had also ordered a mental-health review for the man,
because he struggled to communicate with the court.
Williams
said he and nonprofits will help the man seek counseling, housing, and
asylum so that he can stay in America. Williams said that ICE is
requiring the man to wear an electronic tracking device on his ankle.
Susan
Church, one of two lawyers representing the man for free, said the man
needs mental-health services that the jail cannot provide.
“I’m
glad that the immigration officials saw that this young college student
should have been released to pursue his case out of custody,” said
Church, who is co-counsel with Kira Gagarin.
US
Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to requests for
comment. ICE pursued the man’s deportation days after President Obama
criticized a harsh new antigay law in Uganda.
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