Iowa bishop calls for government to release immigrant mother facing deportation

Bishop Dennis Walsh of Davenport, Iowa, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asking the federal government to release Fatou Traore, an immigrant mother facing deportation. In his Oct. 2 letter, Walsh argued that the government lacks lawful or humanitarian justification for the deportation of the Iowa City resident.

Traore has lived in the community for more than two decades and has held a legal resident status since a 2011 withholding of removal order. This order prevents deportation to countries where an immigration judge determined an individual would likely face persecution. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested Traore on Sept. 24. While the agency told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that Traore admitted to using a fake birth certificate and passport to enter the country, her family denies those allegations.

Walsh stated that Traore has no criminal history and has raised her family peacefully in Iowa. He noted that the government is preparing to deport her to Sierra Leone, a country where he said she has no connection and where violence and human rights violations are serious concerns. The bishop urged the government to halt the deportation, calling the action a violation of human dignity.