A couple from New Jersey, who were once avid supporters of President Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” agenda, have now turned against him after being caught up in his immigration crackdown. Abdellatif Hafraoui was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last August at Newark Liberty International Airport while heading to Florida with his wife, Sandra Hafraoui, for vacation. After spending 108 days in various detention facilities, he was finally released on a $15,000 bond.
Sandra Hafraoui, who had voted for Trump in the past three elections and attended one of his rallies in Las Vegas with her husband, expressed her disappointment in the president. She believed that Trump would focus on deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records, not on individuals like her husband, who had been living in the U.S. for 38 years after immigrating from Morocco at the age of 22.
Abdellatif Hafraoui explained that he was targeted by ICE due to a missed immigration court date over a decade ago, which stemmed from his attorney failing to notify him of the scheduled hearing. The attorney, Earl Seth David, was later sentenced to five years in prison for operating an immigration fraud scheme.
Since his release in November, Abdellatif Hafraoui has been unable to return to his job as a concierge in New York. He now has to attend regular ICE check-ins and wear an electronic ankle bracelet, causing him fear and uncertainty in his life.
The Department of Homeland Security was contacted for comment on the Hafraouis’ situation but did not respond immediately. Trump’s administration had pledged to enact the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, with over 605,000 deportations reported by DHS in December.
The backlash against ICE’s enforcement actions has grown, particularly following the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. A Catholic leader who has led Mass at the detention facility where Abdellatif Hafraoui was held issued a strong condemnation of ICE, urging people of faith to speak out against the agency.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark expressed sorrow for a world where children are separated from their families and protesters are harmed, calling for more voices to stand up against such injustices.
