First, an update for the fundraiser for James Eric, who has now been illegally deported. According to James’s new and well-respected immigration lawyer, his case for being returned to the US and avoiding renewed incarceration by posting bond looks favorable because of several factors:

1) he was illegally deported

2) he has no criminal record

3) he has consistently paid his taxes for the last 15 years

4) he has a his own business as a small truck driver

5) he own his home in York, PA.

James is happy to be alive, but is yearning to return to York, his home since 2001. He desperately misses his beloved daughters.

He has been surviving in Freetown, Sierra Leone, thanks to a Good Samaritan who is providing him with a free room and to the support of his eldest daughter and friends in the US to cover other essentials including medical treatment for malaria. But getting the legal help he needs to bring him back home will be costly, and the bond to avoid incarceration is typically set between $ 2,000 and $ 10,000.

This is why we are renewing our fundraiser.

Please read on for the initial fundraising post for background information.

On June 5th 2025 James Eric, beloved father to three daughters, an active member of his church, and a respected member of his community, went to his annual meeting at the York Pennsylvania Immigration office and was detained by ICE.

James sought refuge here 27 years ago, after several family members were killed in his presence during Sierra Leone’s civil war. In 2001 he was served a removal order, but was granted parole given the continued threats to his safety in Sierra Leone. His oldest daughter Savannah Eric now 21, a political science major at Shippensburg University, is sponsoring him for his application for a green card, which was initiated in May. One of the testimonies to his compassion and his values: he loved celebrating his daughters’ birthdays by going with them to give food to the homeless.

The two younger daughters, 15 and 9, a high-school junior and a fourth grader respectively, are devastated. The children had been alternating every other week between their two parents, and are now currently staying with their mother.

His eldest is daughter, his employer Ahmed Bamba, and his church are working together to get the legal help they need to avert his deportation. In the devastating case that they should fail, they want to facilitate his safe return to his home community here, in York PA. James has no family left in Sierra Leone. This kind of specialized legal help is expensive and the family needs financial support to ensure his safety.

The story of his detention by ICE was covered by CBS 21 News Harrisburg.