Update to Mustapha's case: he has been ordered deported to his country of origin, Ghana. He left MANY years ago and has no family to assist him upon his return. Though he is an adult, he will be returning to a home that has not been a home since childhood. We are hopping to assist him with at least a few months of rest, food, and a phone to keep connected while he settles into a new life. Any contributions will go to these directly. Cash to take with him, a motel room for his first few days, a bank account to take cash from for rent and food, etc. Your help is so deeply appreciated.

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My name is Andi and this is my son, Mohammed Mustapha.

Mustapha moved in with me and my husband Peter, & our blended family when he aged out of foster care at 18 years old. He was still a sophomore in high school.

Mustapha was born in Ghana, and as a young teen, he left his home and the little family he had left. The story of how he came here is long and complicated, but it landed him in South America at 15 years old, where he found himself with no money and no identifying documents. Though it took him years to accept it, he was a victim of human trafficking. He didn't believe himself to be a victim, because it was his choice to escape, but he thought he was leaving to play professional soccer, not to be dumped in a motel room amd have his money and travel documents stolen. He made his way through MANY countries on his own and with the help of others, some who also did not have his best interest at heart, to the Mexican/US border and surrendered himself.

After entering the US and being given protection as an unaccompanied minor, he was sent to Michigan and placed in a group home, then a foster home, and then moved in with us. This was intended to be temporary, but he quickly became a part of our family.

After completing high school, he went on to college, attending Aquinas College right down the road from our home, so that he wouldn't have to leave the family that he had found after so long without one.

A few years later, Mustapha made a bad decision in a heated moment. He had stepped away from his religious practice and down an unhealthy road. He made a choice that would follow him. He committed a crime. It was not violent, but I cannot and will not say that it was victimless. His action hurt somebody, and that person pressed charges.

Mustapha's apartment was raided with a search warrant, and he was walked to a police car in handcuffs with a gun pointed at him while they went through his things to find proof. He had nightmares for months.

Over two years later, he was arrested for his crime and charged with extortion for a threat made over Snapchat. At this point, he had graduated college.

Mustapha accepted his fate and pled guilty to his crime. He asked for forgiveness and took his punishment. He has been in a state prison for over 2 years now making amends for this.

What he didn't know, and we didn't know, was that by pleading guilty, he was essentially forfeiting his green card.

Now, after 2 1/2 years of incarceration, he has been paroled and immediately taken into ICE custody and charged for deportation.

We have hired an immigration attorney who seems as though, despite the odds, he may be able to stop the deportation.

The fees for this are steep. We have already paid thousands, with help from loving family. The next step will be at least $8,000.

If you have $10 or $20 extra dollars to spare, your help would mean so much. Every dollar will go to the attorney at New Liberty Law that we have retained to fight for Mustapha.

This young man made a bad decision. I know that. He knows that. However, he has given years of his life to make that right. He shouldn't have to leave the only family he has and go back to a home that is no longer a home. He has no connections, no family left there. It is a place where he lived in poverty and was sometimes homeless. He was abused and at times feared for his life. The words "I Love You" were never spoken to him until I said them to him when he was 19 years old. Please help us fight to keep him here.