An Arizona resident who has lived in the U.S. legally for decades―and even fought a war for the country―may be deported, after an immigration judge’s ruling on Friday.
Iraq War veteran Marlon Parris, who moved to the U.S. from the Caribbean in 1997 and was repeatedly issued Green Cards, was detained in January earlier this year.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) had previously ruled the Green Card holder should be allowed to stay in the U.S. despite serving prison time for a drugs offense back in 2011 because the crime was nonviolent.
However, airport officials confiscated his Green Card in 2023 when he returned from a vacation abroad with his wife. Parris was still embroiled in the legal process to have his card returned when he was unexpectedly pulled over in his car by ICE officials in January, who reportedly told him he was “on a list” to be detained and he now faces deportation.
Parris’ wife, Tanisha Hartwell-Parris, says U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown is responsible for her husband’s detention, arguing nothing is different in his case, apart from a change in president. Newsweek reached out by email to the White House on Saturday seeking a response to her comments.
Why It Matters
Trump has vowed to cut immigration across the board and, almost immediately after winning office, he launched a series of raids to roundup and deport illegal immigrants. He is also trying to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born to parents who aren’t citizens or lawful permanent residents and has launched a self-deportation drive; this offers undocumented residents $1,000 stipends and “free flights” home if they leave voluntarily via a federal scheme.
However, Trump’s plans have proved divisive and have been hit with multiple court challenges. In addition, a number of detentions and deportations have sparked a public backlash over perceived unfairness in some cases.
What To Know
Parris, now 45, moved to the U.S. in 1997 from Trinidad and Tobago as the son of a naturalized citizen and was issued a Green Card which he renewed every decade as required.
He served prison time for conspiracy to distribute drugs in 2011, but the authorities ruled back then that he would not be deported and would not lose his Green Card because the crime had not involved violence.
However, despite owning and showing an official “letter of no interest” from ICE confirming he had been allowed to stay in the U.S., Parris’ Green Card was taken from him by customs agents at an airport when he returned from a vacation abroad with his wife in 2023. He was still embroiled in the legal process to have the card returned to him when he was unexpectedly pulled over and detained by ICE agents near his home in Laveen.
Since then, Parris has been held at a private detention center in Florence and is only allowed to speak to his wife through a glass partition when she visits him.
His attorney, Douglas Kouffie, filed motions objecting to the government’s evidence against his client, arguing that it had been submitted late and without proper certification.
Judge Frank Travieso said he was sympathetic to Parris’ case, but nevertheless found that the government had provided enough evidence to show that he could be deported. The ruling at Florence Immigration Court on May 9 means that Parris may now be forcibly ejected from the U.S., despite living in the country for decades since he was a boy and serving two tours of duty in Iraq.
After the hearing, Kouffie said he was “shocked and disappointed” on behalf of his client, adding: “I think the court got it wrong.”
What People Are Saying
Parris’s wife, Tanisha Hartwell-Parris, described the whole experience as “traumatic,” especially “for the children.”
She told AZcentral.com that her family was bracing to move to Trinidad and Tobago if Parris were deported. Hartwell-Parris added that they would rather live abroad than stay in a country that would reject a veteran who had been prepared to give his life serving it.
In the meantime, the family is continuing to hope the courts will allow Parris to stay in the U.S., his wife said. She added: “We’re not letting this administration fearmonger us. That’s not something we will give them. They want all these immigrants to be running around scared, looking over their shoulder. We’re not going to live like that.”
Speaking previously about the case, Hartwell-Parris queried the timing of her husband’s detention. “Why now? We were taking care of the Green Card issue [ …] We have all his documentation. Nothing has changed other than the president.”
What Happens Next
Judge Travieso set the next hearing for August 11. Parris is expected to oppose the deportation plans, while the government looks set to argue for his removal from the country.
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