Overview
- Godfrey Wade, a lawful U.S. resident since 1975 who served in the Army in the 1980s, was deported to Jamaica after a September 2025 traffic stop for a turn-signal violation led to an arrest for driving without a license.
- Wade’s detention was based on a 2014 removal order tied to a 2006 simple assault and a 2007 bounced check, with court notices later shown to have been returned as undeliverable.
- Rep. David Scott asked DHS to halt the removal and said his office was informed four days after Wade was deported, which local reports place on Feb. 5.
- Wade spent nearly five months in ICE custody, was transferred from Georgia to a Louisiana holding facility, and was placed on a monthly charter flight to Jamaica.
- A DHS spokesperson previously described Wade as a repeat offender, a characterization his attorney disputes, while the legal team now seeks Board of Immigration Appeals review and is pursuing a private bill as ICE and DHS have not provided new comment.