Black Georgia U.S. Army Vet and 50-Year U.S. Resident Facing Deportation For This Wild Reason

As ICE continues to turn up the heat on U.S. soil, it seems Black immigrants could potentially be the next target on the hit list. A Jamaican-born man — who has called the United States home for more than 50 years — is now facing deportation after a traffic stop in Georgia. And in this case, even a clean record couldn’t protect him from being swept up in ICE’s crackdown.

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As the Trump administration continues to double down on aggressive immigration enforcement, cases like this suggest ICE’s reach is expanding with devastating consequences.

Godfrey Wade, 65, a U.S. veteran and Georgia grandfather who came to the United States at 15, has reportedly spent the past three months in immigration detention following a routine traffic stop. Wade was pulled over by police in Conyers for failing to use his turn signal, and when authorities discovered he was driving without a license, he was brought into custody. 

A longtime Covington resident, Wade’s family is now fighting to secure his right to remain in the country he has called home for nearly five decades—time spent serving in the military, raising a family, and living with no prior criminal record. According to his fiancée, April Watkins, he truly loves this country, but now it feels as if America is turning its back on him.

“He wasn’t born in this country, and still, he loves this country enough that he signed up to serve it,” Watkins said, per 11 Alive. “Fifty years later, when he needs this country, this country is turning its back on him.”

Wade enlisted in the Army, 7th infantry division, and has been recognized for wartime service and good conduct, per the outlet. Since his honorable discharge, he’s earned multiple degrees, working as a master tailor, tennis coach, and chef. 

“For 52 years I’ve lived in this country and raised my children, worked hard, paid my taxes,” Wade said during a call from Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin. “A lot of the processes of immigration I didn’t know about. I’m learning more while I’m in here.”

For years, non-citizen vets had protection from deportation implemented by the Biden administration. However, a memo updated under the Trump administration rescinds those safeguards, leaving many veterans at risk despite serving the country, per the outlet.