Donna Hughes-Brown, a 58-year-old grandmother from Ireland, is at risk of deportation from the United States. This mixed blessing grizzly problem comes from a decision made in 2015. Impacted community member, Hughes-Brown, a lawful permanent resident or green card holder, entered the U.S. in 1977. She had been arrested upon landing in Chicago on a flight from Dublin in July. Her experience while in detention has shed light on the abuse and mistreatment of legal immigrants following recent efforts to change immigration law.
Hughes-Brown has considered the U.S. home for almost four decades. She raises five children with pride and is enjoying the life of a grandmother. She’d owned a horse farm in Troy, Missouri where she invested in her close-knit community. Today, she finds herself with an uncertain future as she bides time in solitary confinement at a Kentucky detention center.
Her deportation stems from a fraudulent cheque she’d written for $25 in 2015. She had already made restitution and done a term of probation for that offense. Despite this past issue being resolved, Hughes-Brown’s detention aligns with stricter immigration policies enacted under former President Donald Trump’s administration. The law, marginally amended on July 4, has resulted in deeper scrutiny and the harsher punishment of immigrants such as Hughes-Brown.
Her husband, Jim Brown, a military veteran, is a U.S. citizen. He served proudly in both the Navy and Marines, and he has paid very harsh public condemnation of her mistreatment. He testified about losing track of her after she was transferred to an isolation cell that he characterized as “deplorable.”
“You look at the news, and they’re not telling the truth about what’s actually happening to a lot of legal immigrants. What’s bad is that Trump is so demeaning to people, and he’s so condescending and so retaliatory that people are afraid to say anything.” – Jim Brown
Donna Hughes-Brown’s deportation is currently scheduled for September 17, a date that hangs ominously over her family. Jim Brown further communicated that his wife is suffering under her harsh conditions of confinement.
“I’m not eating that.” – Donna Hughes-Brown (as told by Jim Brown)
As her case continues to develop, there are thousands watching with hope that her deportation order is overturned. Perhaps most importantly, they want to know if collective action will rise to defend Hughes-Brown and other educators who may be targeted thusly in the future. Her case continues to fuel nationwide conversations about the immigration policy, as well as the treatment of legal immigrants in the United States.