LUMPKIN, Georgia — The fiancée of a Jamaican-born U.S. Army veteran detained by federal immigration authorities is urging lawmakers to restore protections for non-citizen service members. April Watkins said her partner, 65-year-old Godfrey Wade, deserves the chance to remain in the country he served, calling his detention “devastating” for their family.
Wade, who immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager and later earned commendations for wartime service, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a September traffic stop, according to reporting from The Guardian. Under the Trump administration’s “mass deportation” initiative, ICE has detained thousands of non-citizen veterans, reversing protections previously implemented during the Biden administration.
Wade is being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, one of the largest immigration facilities in the country and operated by private prison company CoreCivic. The center has faced long-standing allegations of rights violations, including medical neglect and multiple suicides. Wade’s children say visiting their father has become emotionally difficult.
Members of Congress have requested information from the Department of Homeland Security about the number of veterans detained or deported, with past estimates suggesting more than 10,000 may have been affected. An internal VA memo reviewed by The Guardian indicates the agency is compiling data on non-citizen employees that may soon be shared with ICE, raising further concerns about potential detentions.
Wade’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to support his legal defense and cover financial hardships.
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