Amer Adi called Youngstown, Ohio his home. A business owner, a husband, and the father of four beautiful daughters, Adi has lived here in America, happily, for almost 40 years. Originally from Jordan, Adi was deported back there a week ago, part of Trump's redoubled efforts on immigration.
With nothing but the clothes on his back and less than $300 in his pocket, this 'pillar of the community' was put o… https://t.co/FdvXezR9mH— CNN (@CNN) 1518111005.0
According to CNN, he is considered a "pillar of his community." Adi even has the backing of Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan. His wife and daughters are all U.S. citizens. And Adi even owns multiple businesses, creating jobs in his area and he's known locally for distributing hundreds of turkeys to the poor in his community on Thanksgiving.
But for the past 20 years Adi has been fighting to stay here in the U.S., after his first wife (who claims she was coerced by immigration officials) signed a statement against him, alleging marriage fraud. (She has since retracted her statement in an affidavit.)
After being deported and landing in Amman, Jordan Adi told CNN:
I have mixed feelings, very mixed feelings. I'm so happy, so glad to be here, my home, to see my mother, my brother, my family, my friends, that makes me proud and happy. At the same time, I feel so sad of what happened to me. I'm so sorry to tell you what happened is unjust, not right, and everyone back there knows that. What the Trump administration is doing is -- you can't even explain it.
People on Twitter could not understand the point of deporting someone like Adi:
@CNN This makes Our Country Safer???— John Perschino (@John Perschino) 1518152010.0
@chestnut_daniel @JPerschino @CNN No. It does not make your country safer to get rid of beautiful people doing all… https://t.co/UcRUVGsicT— SLM (@SLM) 1518158744.0
@CNN The far-right extremists live to hurt people. Their time in power will end soon. Americans reject their hate and their evil.— Jeff "We call BS" Furlington (@Jeff "We call BS" Furlington) 1518117868.0
@CNN There are an AMAZING number of Americans commenting here that just Refuse to listen or understand. Holding on… https://t.co/5NUHrakIR9— Rebel Hawk (@Rebel Hawk) 1518152139.0
Trump supporters were not having any of it and some tried to reason with them, provide facts, and urge them to actually read the article in full.
@silkroad4434 @CNN which he has been appealing since 2009 because his 1st wife lied to ice about their marital status. read the article.— Spooky Caroline J 👽👽 (@Spooky Caroline J 👽👽) 1518112935.0
@silkroad4434 @CNN dude he lost his legal status in the 90s because his wife accused him of FRAUD and then it took… https://t.co/YNYxstUZ7a— Spooky Caroline J 👽👽 (@Spooky Caroline J 👽👽) 1518114791.0
@CNN Good, he should’ve applied for citizenship 40 years ago.— Doug (@Doug) 1518119210.0
@maruchan1312 @CNN Good send them home. I have friends coming from Vietnam to the USA. He waited 12 years. He is no… https://t.co/jVHkXOlGRg— Doug (@Doug) 1518184857.0
@magickcat45 @maruchan1312 @CNN It is not their home. They are illegals. Doesn’t matter when they got here. Once th… https://t.co/KRYAQj34Af— Doug (@Doug) 1518191815.0
@DougBrown43 @magickcat45 @maruchan1312 @CNN Its not really anyone’s home if you use that logic. We all migrated h… https://t.co/56PkzKwRWM— Tammy Miers 🌊🌊🌊🏄🏻♀️🥃 (@Tammy Miers 🌊🌊🌊🏄🏻♀️🥃) 1518318975.0
Congressman Ryan, who views Adi as a "pillar of the community" has fought for him to remain in America, even securing multiple stays of the deportation order. Regretfully, the congressman was unable to do so this time.
Ryan told CNN in an interview:
If you would see the breadth of support that this gentleman has, from whether it's his Italian-Irish Catholic congressman or an African-American Pentecostal Republican woman who is supporting him or the working-class people I saw in his shop the day they thought he was going to get deported ... to show support for him.
In the end, maybe the most important thing to remember is that Adi—a husband, father, business man, and well-loved member of his Ohio community—has now been sent back to a place he hasn't known for the last 40 years. Ask yourself, if these were your circumstances, how would you feel?