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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Jermaine Thomas? Texas man born on US army base to American soldier deported to Jamaica
A man born on a US Army base in Germany to a military family has been deported to Jamaica, a country he has never visited in, as reported by Austin Chronicle. Jermaine Thomas was born in 1986 while his father, a Jamaican immigrant who later became a US citizen, was serving in the military.(No Jumper/ Facebook) Jermaine Thomas was born in 1986 while his father, a Jamaican immigrant who later became a US citizen, was serving in the military. His mother, a Kenyan citizen at the time, and his father raised him while moving between bases. After his parents divorced, Thomas moved to Florida at age 11 to live with his father, who had retired. His father died in 2010 from kidney failure, not long after Thomas arrived. Following his father's death, Thomas struggled. He spent years in Texas, sometimes homeless and often in jail, according to The Chronicle. Also Read: Zohran Mamdani 'needs to be deported': Republicans over NYC mayoral candidate's anti-ICE stance The exact date of his deportation order is unclear. However, court records from 2015 show that his case reached the US Supreme Court. The Justice Department argued that being born on a US Army base in Germany did not automatically make him a citizen. The Court sided with the DOJ, agreeing with a lower court's decision and denying Thomas's request to review the deportation order. It ruled that 'his father did not meet the physical presence requirement of the statute in force at the time of Thomas's birth.' The court also cited Thomas's criminal history, including a domestic violence conviction and two 'crimes involving moral turpitude.' Thomas, who held no official citizenship from the US, Germany, or Jamaica, was considered stateless. He continued living in the US, most recently in Killeen, Texas. Jermaine Thomas deportation process began… According to The Chronicle, the deportation process began after he was evicted from his apartment. While moving out, he was arrested for trespassing, a misdemeanor in Texas. A court-appointed lawyer told him he could spend nearly a year in jail waiting for trial. Having lost his job, Thomas agreed to a release deal. Instead of being freed, he was transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility near Houston, where he was held for two and a half months. Now in Kingston, Thomas is living in a hotel. He told The Chronicle he doesn't know who is paying for the room — the US government or Jamaican authorities — or how long he will be allowed to stay. He also said he is uncertain whether he's legally permitted to work or remain in Jamaica. 'If you're in the U.S. Army, and the Army deploys you somewhere, and you've got to have your child over there, and your child makes a mistake after you pass away, and you put your life on the line for this country, are you going to be okay with them just kicking your child out of the country?' Thomas told The Chronicle.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Drummer detained by CBP before flight to Europe for band's tour
A drummer and green card holder for a Texas-based band was removed from a flight by federal immigration officials on Monday before the band was set to depart for a European tour. Yamal Said, a member of the heavy Americana band Lord Buffalo, was detained at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who said they had a warrant for his arrest after he allegedly violated a restraining order at least twice, the Department of Homeland Security said on X. Violating a protective order two or more times can lead to it becoming a felony in Texas, based on the circumstances. "Yamal Said is a Mexican national and lawful U.S. permanent resident," the agency wrote on X sharing a news headline about the incident. Tufts University Student Detained By Ice Granted Bail By Federal Judge "Said had a warrant for his arrest after violating a restraining order at least TWICE. If you come to our country and break our laws, you will be arrested. When he was attempting to leave the U.S., he was apprehended by CBP and has been turned over to local law enforcement." Read On The Fox News App The exact nature of the protective order has not been made public. Said is currently being held at the Tarrant County Corrections Center. Said moved to the U.S. in the 1980s after a devastating earthquake hit Mexico City, Voyage Austin previously reported. He has been the band's drummer for the last eight years and teaches music for Texas School for the Blind based in Austin, the outlet reported. Judge Orders Trump Administration Restore Ohio State Grad Student's Visa Paul Carlson, assistant principal at the school, remarked that Said is "a highly respected and long-serving member of our school community," the Austin Chronicle reported. Said's detention forced the band to announce on social media that it had canceled its tour. "We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support from y'all today. We still know very little about the situation, but we have been asked by our drummer's family and his legal team to respect their privacy while this situation evolves," the band wrote. The band had been preparing for an eight-date European tour in support of their latest album, "Holus Bolus," with Norwegian band Orsak:Oslo, the Austin Chronicle reported. "No one should be pulled off a plane and jailed for simply trying to travel and make art with their band," Orsak:Oslo wrote on social media Wednesday. "We won't pretend to understand the full complexity of the situation, but this should not happen anywhere."Original article source: Drummer detained by CBP before flight to Europe for band's tour
Metro
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Rock band cancels tour after drummer hauled off plane by US border control
An American rock band has been forced to cancel its European tour after its drummer, Yamal Said, was detained by US Customs and Border Protection in Texas. The band explained in an online post that Said was removed from a plane at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, despite being a legal US resident. En route to their summer tour before the incident, the band has had no contact with Said for two days. The drummer is a Mexican citizen but a legal permanent resident of the United States and the holder of a green card. Said has been a resident of Austin, Texas since the 1980s, according to the Austin Chronicle. 'We are heartbroken to announce we have to cancel our upcoming European tour,' the band wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. 'Our drummer, Yamal Said, who is a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States (green card holder) was forcibly removed from our flight to Europe by Customs and Border Patrol [sic] at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Monday May 12. 'He has not been released, and we have been unable to contact him. We are currently working with an immigration lawyer to find out more information and to attempt to secure his release.' An update to the statement on Wednesday afternoon told fans that the drummer had 'secured the legal representation he needs.' 'We are waiting to hear what comes next,' they said. 'We want to reiterate that we truly don't know what's going on. We have more questions than answers, but we will keep you posted as much as we can. At this time the family asks for privacy as they navigate the situation.' A stalwart of the Austin music scene, Said formerly played with the band the Black and works as a music instructor for the Texas School for the Blind, according to the Austin Chronicle. The band was scheduled to go on an eight-date European tour to play and promote their latest album Holus Bolus. The tour, alongside the Swedish band Orsak:Oslo, was scheduled to begin on 15 May in the Netherlands. In a social media statement, Orsak:Oslo, who will continue with the tour, wrote: 'No one should be pulled off a plane and jailed for simply trying to travel and make art with their band. We won't pretend to understand the full complexity of the situation, but this should not happen anywhere.' Said's detention is part of a wider immigration crackdown under the Trump administration. On Monday, Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, said that the US has deported roughly 139,000 illegal immigrants since Trump returned to the White House. More Trending On April 28, Trump signed an executive order targeting sanctuary cities that have acted like havens for undocumented immigrants and refused to cooperate with the federal government's moves to arrest them. The order directs the attorney general and homeland security secretary to publish a list of cities and states that have not complied with federal laws around immigration. The President also signed executive orders with the aim of expanding ICE's ability to arrest and detain unlawful migrants on US soil. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: History of Air Force One as Trump eyes accepting $400,000,000 Qatari plane MORE: Julia Fox wears her period blood with pride MORE: James Bond actor Joe Don Baker dies aged 89
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Fox News
Drummer detained by CBP before flight to Europe for band's tour
A drummer and green card holder for a Texas-based band was removed from a flight by federal immigration officials on Monday before the band was set to depart for a European tour. Yamal Said, a member of the heavy Americana band Lord Buffalo, was detained at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who said they had a warrant for his arrest after he allegedly violated a restraining order at least twice, the Department of Homeland Security said on X. Violating a protective order two or more times can lead to it becoming a felony in Texas, based on the circumstances. "Yamal Said is a Mexican national and lawful U.S. permanent resident," the agency wrote on X sharing a news headline about the incident. "Said had a warrant for his arrest after violating a restraining order at least TWICE. If you come to our country and break our laws, you will be arrested. When he was attempting to leave the U.S., he was apprehended by CBP and has been turned over to local law enforcement." The exact nature of the protective order has not been made public. Said is currently being held at the Tarrant County Corrections Center. Said moved to the U.S. in the 1980s after a devastating earthquake hit Mexico City, Voyage Austin previously reported. He has been the band's drummer for the last eight years and teaches music for Texas School for the Blind based in Austin, the outlet reported. Paul Carlson, assistant principal at the school, remarked that Said is "a highly respected and long-serving member of our school community," the Austin Chronicle reported. Said's detention forced the band to announce on social media that it had canceled its tour. "We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support from y'all today. We still know very little about the situation, but we have been asked by our drummer's family and his legal team to respect their privacy while this situation evolves," the band wrote. The band had been preparing for an eight-date European tour in support of their latest album, "Holus Bolus," with Norwegian band Orsak:Oslo, the Austin Chronicle reported. "No one should be pulled off a plane and jailed for simply trying to travel and make art with their band," Orsak:Oslo wrote on social media Wednesday. "We won't pretend to understand the full complexity of the situation, but this should not happen anywhere."
