Wrongfully Deported:Help Melinda Samuel Pay for Urgent Needs

Wrongfully Deported: Help Melinda Samuel Pay for Urgent Medical Needs, Reclaim Her Life, and Reunite with Her Family

Melinda Samuel is a Black queer woman who lived in the U.S. for over 38 years. ICE wrongfully and unlawfully deported Melinda to Antigua on June 28, 2024. Melinda is now separated from her daughter and stripped of the medical care she desperately needs.

Short-term:

Melinda urgently needs funds for medical treatment and for basic living expenses

· She has brain aneurysms and complications from a collapsed lung but no access to specialists that she can afford and adequate healthcare in Antigua.

· She suffers from severe depression and anxiety with no access to mental health care.

· She lost her full-time job at Whole Foods in NYC (her only source of income).

· Her daughter, who relied on her care and support, is left alone in the U.S. battling lupus and is potentially facing eviction.

Long-term:

Melinda needs funds for her legal defense and return to the U.S.

· She has multiple legal pathways to return to the U.S. and is represented by a legal services non-profit but still must pay litigation, appeal, and application processing fees.

· She is represented pro bono for her current appeal before the Board of Immigration Appeals and none of the donation will go to her attorneys or to the non-profit that represents her.

· Melinda will have to pay for her flight back to the U.S.

*Upon return to the U.S., Melinda would be able to economically support herself, care for her daughter, and access the medical treatment she needs.*

Background:

Melinda’s journey to the U.S. began at just 7 years old when her mother fled Antigua to escape domestic and sexual violence. Despite growing up in a new country, Melinda’s life has been a relentless battle against trauma, hardship, and domestic violence that continued in the U.S.

ICE began removal proceedings against Melinda and she filed a motion on the basis of domestic violence-based relief. Although the law says people cannot be deported while such relief is pending, ICE deported her anyway.

Melinda’s life has been defined by resilience and survival, but now she needs our help. With your support, she can access life-saving medical care and fight to reunite with her family. Every contribution, big or small, brings Melinda one step closer to healing and justice.