By Ben Axelson | baxelson@nyup.com | Posted February 04, 2019 at 02:59 PM | Updated February 04, 2019 at 03:00 PM
Kinimo Ngoran is a chef at a Rescue Mission in the Capital Region. He prepares hundreds of meals for the needy every day, is married to an American citizen, pays his taxes and is well-liked by his friends and co-workers.
He also entered the United States illegally in 2004, fleeing persecution of Christians in the Ivory Coast, and has been working to legitimize his immigration status ever since, according to the Albany Times Union.
On January 24, he did not return from his twice-yearly check in with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Latham, NY. He had been arrested and detained and was being prepared for deportation at a federal detention facility in Batavia. That's when Albany County Sheriff Craig T. Apple spoke up.
What happened next?
Apple's post on Facebook went viral in the Capital Region, and sparked immediate outcry and organization from immigration activists in the area and beyond. It also sparked debate and support for ICE from residents who felt that, upstanding member of society or not, the law is the law and Ngoran broke it.
Among the organizing efforts were a letter-writing campaign to local elected officials, a GoFundMe to support Ngoran and his wife and a petition urging concerned citizens to call the ICE office to demand Ngoran's release.
Things looked bleak for Ngoran, but the week ended on a note of hope after more of Ngoran's past and experiences with ICE came to light.
#savekinimo Please help me save my brother-in-law from deportation. Use your voice and influence to share the brutality of deporting a man who has been here for 10 years who escaped religious intolerance death squads as a teen in the Ivory Coast... 1/4
— Julie S Harvey (@harveyjs) January 28, 2019
Why did Kinimo Ngoran enter the United States illegally?
More than a decade ago, Ngoran came to the United States to flee from violence and religious persecution in the Ivory Coast. According to the GoFundMe page, he was in danger of being enslaved and made to serve as a child soldier.
He was previously given a temporary stay of deportation by the Department of Homeland Security, and has been reporting to ICE on an order of supervision since 2012 because the agency was unable to obtain a travel document from the Ivory Coast.
Capital City Rescue Mission Executive Director Perry Jones goes with Ngoran to ICE as his work authorization supervisor, and describes him as a "son." He told the Times Union that the agent they had been working with for years changed on Monday.
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