Oumar is home! Help us get him back on his feet!
Donation protected
Dear Friends,
You may have seen or even donated to my previous campaign regarding Yaide Aberaman Oumar (AKA Oumar) a friend, and tireless asylum seeker, who was detained by ICE in Yuba County for nearly 3 and a half months and then deported on December 1st, under the radar, following a holiday weekend and without any friends, family, or members of his legal team being notified. Speaking on behalf of Oumar and the team of amazing people who have been working hard to get Oumar to freedom, we were all devastated. It felt like the rug had been completely ripped out from under us when it seemed we were so close to achieving justice for our friend.
We had successfully mounted an aggressive pressure campaign aimed at ICE, calling Oumar's deportation officer so many times to plead for his release, that the officer actually blocked his phone number. Additionally, at that point, we had raised more money than we ever thought we could on GoFundMe and were so pleasantly surprised by the level of support Oumar and his cause garnered. With the help of local San Francisco restaurants/businesses/vendors, we held three fantastic fundraisers with some really wonderful and generous people in attendance. With the help of Oumar's legal team, we filed a motion to re-open his case, which had been previously closed following a denial of his last appeal at the 9th circuit. We were under the impression that ICE was considering his release.
Even though we always knew that deportation was a possibility, we were blindsided.
That being said, the fight was not over. Even though it was already too late, Oumar's lawyer submitted a court order signed by a federal judge to DHS to stop Oumar's deportation, and it was approved. We believe this is why, ICE chose not to disclose Oumar's deportation to anyone, because they knew we would be able to stop it from happening. Nevertheless, a hearing was held as soon as possible to argue for a habeas petition to have Oumar returned to the United States immediately on the grounds that his deportation was wrongful and potentially even illegal. And it worked. The judge ruled in our favor and ordered that the United States Department of Homeland Security must allow Oumar to return to the US. While the government did not appeal this decision, they did, however, submit that they would not be able to comply with the timeline which was two weeks from the day of the appeal deadline. So here we are, still fighting, to expedite the process of Oumar's return. This will include further outreach to the community of the Mission District in San Francisco, a petition for Congressional support via the office of Senator Kamala Harris, as well as media coverage of Oumar's story.
With the help of friends, family, and other concerned and compassionate Americans, we previously raised a very healthy sum to help provide funds for Oumar's legal fees, expenses, and general well being, and we are all very grateful. However, much of these funds have been depleted over the past four months in order to financially support Oumar and his cause in a number of ways. That being said, regardless of this most recent roadblock, Oumar's return is imminent and we need to raise $10,000 to pay his bond that ICE has recently instated. We'd like to raise as much money as possible so that we can get back him on his feet and get re-established in a city where, as its residents know, it is very difficult to achieve a fresh start. Help us raise enough money to ensure that he gets out and gets the fresh start he deserves.
Sincerely,
Hayley
You may have seen or even donated to my previous campaign regarding Yaide Aberaman Oumar (AKA Oumar) a friend, and tireless asylum seeker, who was detained by ICE in Yuba County for nearly 3 and a half months and then deported on December 1st, under the radar, following a holiday weekend and without any friends, family, or members of his legal team being notified. Speaking on behalf of Oumar and the team of amazing people who have been working hard to get Oumar to freedom, we were all devastated. It felt like the rug had been completely ripped out from under us when it seemed we were so close to achieving justice for our friend.
We had successfully mounted an aggressive pressure campaign aimed at ICE, calling Oumar's deportation officer so many times to plead for his release, that the officer actually blocked his phone number. Additionally, at that point, we had raised more money than we ever thought we could on GoFundMe and were so pleasantly surprised by the level of support Oumar and his cause garnered. With the help of local San Francisco restaurants/businesses/vendors, we held three fantastic fundraisers with some really wonderful and generous people in attendance. With the help of Oumar's legal team, we filed a motion to re-open his case, which had been previously closed following a denial of his last appeal at the 9th circuit. We were under the impression that ICE was considering his release.
Even though we always knew that deportation was a possibility, we were blindsided.
That being said, the fight was not over. Even though it was already too late, Oumar's lawyer submitted a court order signed by a federal judge to DHS to stop Oumar's deportation, and it was approved. We believe this is why, ICE chose not to disclose Oumar's deportation to anyone, because they knew we would be able to stop it from happening. Nevertheless, a hearing was held as soon as possible to argue for a habeas petition to have Oumar returned to the United States immediately on the grounds that his deportation was wrongful and potentially even illegal. And it worked. The judge ruled in our favor and ordered that the United States Department of Homeland Security must allow Oumar to return to the US. While the government did not appeal this decision, they did, however, submit that they would not be able to comply with the timeline which was two weeks from the day of the appeal deadline. So here we are, still fighting, to expedite the process of Oumar's return. This will include further outreach to the community of the Mission District in San Francisco, a petition for Congressional support via the office of Senator Kamala Harris, as well as media coverage of Oumar's story.
With the help of friends, family, and other concerned and compassionate Americans, we previously raised a very healthy sum to help provide funds for Oumar's legal fees, expenses, and general well being, and we are all very grateful. However, much of these funds have been depleted over the past four months in order to financially support Oumar and his cause in a number of ways. That being said, regardless of this most recent roadblock, Oumar's return is imminent and we need to raise $10,000 to pay his bond that ICE has recently instated. We'd like to raise as much money as possible so that we can get back him on his feet and get re-established in a city where, as its residents know, it is very difficult to achieve a fresh start. Help us raise enough money to ensure that he gets out and gets the fresh start he deserves.
Sincerely,
Hayley
Organizer
Hayley Kay
Organizer
Oakland, CA
