On April 13, members of the community held a rally in support of Ramzan Chaudhry, a City of Oakley resident and business owner in the City of Brentwood, who has been held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since February 14, 2019.
He could be deported to Pakistan for 10-years before being allowed to return to the United States. Members of the community joined together at the family’s business Brentwood Petroleum Station (7920 Brentwood Blvd.) demanding that Chaudhry be released.
He is an undocumented immigrant from Pakistan who first came to the United States in 1991 at age 15, where he has since lived for 29-years. He is married to a US Citizen and has three children.
Back in February, it was stated the reason for the detention by ICE was due to the marriage paperwork had not yet been processed. It is also stated that although his work permits are up-to-date, his efforts to get him residency is likely what alerted Ice to his illegal status. He has been held at the Yuba City detention center.
“If his appeal is denied, he will be put on a plane in San Francisco and will be deported for 10-years,” explained Asia Chaudhry, his wife. “Since the day my husband has been here, he has paid taxes, he has never been in trouble with the law, he has a tax ID, a business in his name. He owns a home, has a business, we have three kids together.”
Chaudhry is now seeking help from local officials who can help stop the deportation as he has been seeking asylum since 1994 from Pakistan.
The family is hoping local elected leaders such as Congressman Jerry McNerney, Senator Steve Glazer, Assemblyman Jim Frazier or Contra Costa County Supervisor Diane Burgis can assist. They are also seeking help from Governor Gavin Newsom.
30 comments
If he is illegal He should be sent back
It says his work permits are up to date.
Is he one of the so-called “DREAMERS?”
Who issued him work permits? Does he have a visa?
Why not work on changing the laws
Nothing wrong with the way the law is written.
If he came here illegally at 15, that’s his parents fault – not his. I feel bad for his wife and kids, but the bottom line is – don’t come here illegally. There are consequences, and his entire family is paying the price.
He could have gotten a sponsor like many people who immigrate have done. The sponsor guarantees them a job and a place to live so they aren’t a burden to the taxpayers. Many people who go through the immigration process are proud people who don’t want to rely on welfare and I applaud them for that.
I have sponsored over 200 families who wanted to immigrate to this country from eastern Europe and some from western Europe (Austria, Germany, Norway) and there were no problems. The longest time they had to wait was 6 months.
He could have, or he could have come illegally with his family. If you’re here illegally (from any country) – you need to be deported. I don’t care how successful you are.
Whoever is his representative in Congress should be working for a solution.
ICE will work through this as it sees fit. They do not pay any attention to demands even if a million people march and hold rallies! Actually, trying to demand something can backfire on this situation.
Rallying and protesting isn’t my style, but whatever floats their boat. Of course they don’t pay any attention. It’s a “feel good” situation. I’d be too embarrassed to stand there with signs – even if I was 2,000 miles away from home.
Sorry but we are a nation of laws, or once were since I hardly recognize my once great nation. My grandparents dId it the right way, it took them 15 years but they died as full citizens of the United States.
A Boricua man of color, an independent thinker, “The White Rose Movement”
Some people just hate to see an immigrant do better than them and it shows. There’s really some bitter people out there in the world, I understand he came he illegally but he has lived here the majority of his life. He is a resident and a member of the community, he pays taxes, owns property and wasn’t doing anything wrong yet that still isn’t good enough. People need to stop trying to delude people and really say what’s on their mind instead of trying to tip toe around the subject and act like they has some type of moral high ground.
Where does it say that non-immigrants don’t do well?
Where does it say that Lola, your implying exactly what you already think. Case in point.
I, and millions of other Americans, are doing far better than any immigrant even dreams of. We also give back in spades! If they can catch up, more power to them. This is the land of opportunity.
I’m sure I don’t have to give you an explanation as to why that is. Your at the top punching down and your proud, cmon your better than that jimmy.
Well, one can live here for a long time, go to school, stay out of “trouble,” raise a family, hold a job, pay taxes, open a business – but the bottom line is whether they are in this country legally. None of the above matters is they didn’t go through the process of seeking legal immigration status. He should have consulted an immigration attorney years and years ago and done whatever it takes to go through the immigration process. I wish him luck!
They need to go through the process legally. They choose not to – roll the dice, and then get upset when things don’t work out. They’re hoping to not get caught, but they need to keep in mind ICE is here to stay. They’ll catch up with you
You’re right – an immigration attorney is the correct process.
Hey Save a hoe! Where does it say anyone hates if an immigrant is doing better then them? How do you know how they are doing? What if they own 4 large commercial structures all with long-term rental leases? What if they own numerous residential properties they purchased 30 years ago? Just because the guy runs a gas station, does that make him more successful than others who are here LEGALLY? Even owning such a business didn’t prevent him from being detained. You don’t know what you’re talking about and it shows.
The immigration people will sort this out. The congressional representative should be on top of this. This is a federal case so Newsom should not be involved. He can’t do anything to help.
The WORST thing you can do is hold rallies and make demands! That simply backfires! ICE doesn’t like being challenged by people who don’t have the whole story. Every situation is different. The people holding rallies have done more harm than good.
I hate to see something like this happen, but we are a nation of laws. Some people get caught, while many do not. Those who keep a low profile can usually get away with it. But if you are too visible with something like operating a business, etc., you open yourself up all kinds of scrutiny. If you’re married to an American citizen, many times things can get easier and you don’t have to be in the shadows, but as we see here, this is not a guarantee.
This, along with other similar situations is the complete fault of the Congress. Congress needs to reform and pass immigration laws along with a secure border. These leftists, santuarians, bleeding hearts, and demos are the reason this is happening to this poor guy and his family. Failure to fix a broken border system and immigration laws. What’s really amazing to read here is the amount of comments that support our immigration laws. These protestors have no clue about the rule of law in our country and constitution. This is like the other hundreds of thousands of people who are here illegally. Instead of these peopl getting congress to do their job, these protestors wait until after the crime is committed to complain its wrong or unjust. That’s a little too late. Remember protestors, leftists, and demos, you control the house of congress. You voted them in yet you protest their laws. Instead these idiot politicians are wasting millions of our tax dollars infighting and political probing. Protest your political representatives if you want to stop this from happening again.
There are close to 20,000 immigration laws on-the-books. There is no need to “reform” them. What is needed is that those laws be ENFORCED!
I agree! Those laws which we already have need to be enforced! Those laws are very straightforward!
This, along with other similar situations is the complete fault of the Congress. Congress needs to reform and pass immigration laws along with a secure border. These leftists, santuarians, bleeding hearts, and demos are the reason this is happening to this poor guy and his family. Failure to fix a broken border system and immigration laws. What’s really amazing to read here is the amount of comments that support our immigration laws. These protestors have no clue about the rule of law in our country and constitution. This is like the other hundreds of thousands of people who are here illegally. Instead of these people getting congress to do their job, these protestors wait until after the crime is committed to complain its wrong or unjust. That’s a little too late. Remember protestors, leftists, and demos, you control the house of congress. You voted them in yet you protest their laws. Instead these idiot politicians are wasting millions of our tax dollars infighting and political probing in stead of immigration reform. Trump offered reform with border security and the hateful demos rejected it. Protest your political representatives if you want to stop this from happening again.
So? Any updates on this situation?
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