rn of the order until attempting to renew his green card in 2019.

 He never got an opportunity to fight for himself,  Kozycki said.

In September 2025, Wade was stopped in Rockdale County for an alleged turn-signal violation and for driving without a valid license. He was taken into ICE custody on an immigration hold.

That hold was tied to the 2014 order and convictions from 2008 for deposit account fraud and simple assault. After the stop, he was held at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin.

Wade was deported to Jamaica in February 2026 after about six months in detention.

 You're going back to your birthplace with nothing. Nothing except the clothes on your back and told to make your way,  said Wade's fiancée, April Watkins.

On Saturday via FaceTime with a bad connection, Wade said this has been a difficult journey.

 Taking it one day at a time,  said Wade, still in Jamaica.

Kozycki argues that Wade was denied basic due process and the opportunity to appear before an immigration judge to defend his right to remain in the country.

In a previous report, Tricia McLaughlin, then the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary, called Wade a  criminal illegal alien. 

 His criminal history includes domestic assault, criminal trespass, reckless conduct, deposit account fraud, violation of probation, multiple arrests for driving on a suspended license. In 2014, an immigration judge ordered him removed after he failed to show up for his immigration hearing,  she said.  This repeat offender is now off our streets and no longer able to terrorize Americans. 

Kozycki said the domestic assault case was resolved through a plea deal. He added it was an argument that didn't turn physically violent, but the police were called.

The habeas ruling returns the Douglas County criminal case to its position before the plea was entered, marking a significant change in the legal circumstances that jump-started the immigration case. The ruling does not automatically return Wade to the United States. Wade, 66, remains in Jamaica, separated from his six children and grandchildren in Georgia.

U.S. Representative Everton Blair said he has introduced legislation to grant Wade permanent residency and bring him back to the U.S.

 Oftentimes, lives can be changed with just one piece of paper,  said Blair.

Wade's case remains pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Kozycki said it could still take years to be resolved.