ICE deported Army veteran Godfrey Wade to Jamaica while his removal-order appeal was still pending

On February 5, 2026, while his appeal of the motion-to-reopen denial remained pending at the Board of Immigration Appeals, ICE deported Godfrey Wade to Jamaica, a country he had not lived in for more than 50 years. Wade had been held for nearly five months at Georgia's Stewart Detention Center before being transferred to Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana. In a statement to CNN, DHS called Wade "a criminal illegal alien" who "received full due process" and said he "will no longer be able to terrorize Americans." Wade's attorney, Tony Kozycki, said DHS retains discretionary authority to allow Wade's return while the appeal is pending but has not done so. ICE's acting director had separately rescinded a 2022 policy directing that a noncitizen's military service be treated as a significant mitigating factor in removal decisions, though the agency still permits personnel to consider it.

Godfrey Wade came to the United States from Jamaica with his family in 1975 at age 15 as a lawful permanent resident, later enlisting in the Army and serving overseas in Germany as a unit supply specialist before an honorable discharge in 1987. He lived in the U.S. for more than 50 years, working as a chef, tennis coach, and fashion designer, and most recently as a cafe chef serving Georgia legislators at the state Capitol.

In 2006, Wade was charged with misdemeanors including simple assault and reckless conduct stemming from a domestic argument with his then-wife, and pleaded guilty to one count each of simple assault and reckless conduct, receiving 12 months' probation. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor deposit-account fraud after bouncing a check for roughly $500 to Douglas County, Georgia tax authorities, and was sentenced to time served plus restitution. In June 2012, an immigration court scheduled removal proceedings against Wade based on those convictions; notices of the hearing were mailed to an address where he no longer lived and were returned to the court marked "Return to Sender." In July 2014, the court entered a removal order against Wade in absentia; that notice was returned as well. Wade remained unaware any of this had happened.

In 2022, Wade applied to renew his green card, unaware of the removal order, and the renewal was delayed by pandemic-era backlogs. In December 2024, the renewal was formally denied, citing the 2014 removal order — the first time Wade learned it existed. He hired immigration attorney Tony Kozycki. On September 13, 2025, Wade was pulled over for a turn-signal violation in Conyers, Georgia and arrested for driving without a license, since his expired green card had prevented him from renewing it; ICE then detained him under the outstanding removal order. Kozycki filed a motion to reopen the case citing the undelivered hearing notices, which an immigration judge denied after roughly two minutes, without addressing the four returned envelopes in the court's own file. Kozycki appealed the denial to the Board of Immigration Appeals. U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-GA), who represents Wade's district, wrote to DHS asking it to reconsider.

Updates

2026-02-11 — Family urged BIA to reopen case [4]

Wade's family and attorney Tony Kozycki publicly urged the Board of Immigration Appeals to reopen his case, with Wade saying he needed "one hearing, one opportunity, one chance to be heard." Kozycki said he was engaging members of Congress about a private bill that could allow the case to be reopened. Wade remained in Jamaica, having relocated from Kingston to a northern region of the country.