Mondaire Jones, Democratic Congressman Outraged By Unlawful Deportation
Congressman Mondaire Jones from New York is outraged about Paul Pierrilus’ unlawful deportation. Pierrilus was set to be deported on January 19 before Mondaire and his staff arrived. They were able to remove him from the plane a few minutes before take-off. But less than two weeks later, Pierrilus went back to Haiti despite attempts to argue his unlawful removal.
“At 3:00 AM, my staff received an urgent call. ICE was planning to unlawfully deport Paul Pierrilus, who is beloved in Rockland County. It happened suddenly, in the middle of the night, and we couldn’t do anything to prevent it,” tweeted Mondaire.
Mondaire added:
“Sadly, Paul’s story is not rare. Our racist and inhumane immigration system has unfairly targeted and deported Black immigrants, especially in recent weeks,” he expressed. “ICE acts independently and disregards President Biden’s deportation moratorium, thanks to right-wing operatives on the federal bench,” he added.
Illegal Deportations Ruin Families
Mondaire explains how this traumatic experience is disrupting Pierrilus’ family dynamic, like that of many other immigrant families. Moreover, the congressman won’t rest until he gets his constituent back.
“Paul should be with his family in Rockland County. I won’t stop until he’s back home and until we’ve created a fair and humane immigration system,” Mondaire stated. “Meanwhile, I’m praying for Paul and his family, and my team will keep a close eye on the situation and advocate for his return.”
Even so, Pierrilus returned to Haiti facing a number of challenges. Sadly, ICE knows the damage that it has caused.
“They were aware he had no nationality. They knew he didn’t possess a Haitian passport,” stated his lawyer, Nicole Phillips. “Our understanding is that he lacked the necessary travel documents to return to Haiti, yet they still deported him there.”
History of Deportation Struggles
In addition, ICE previously attempted to deport Pierrilus’ brother, Daniel Pierrilus, in 2006. Thankfully, Daniel is now back in the United States. For now, President Joe Biden has pledged to postpone deportations for the first 100 days of his term.
