'Imagine having your entire life just dashed'
Maybe you've seen the video?
A YouTube clip is sweeping across Facebook and Twitter, drawing attention to a local man who could be forced out of the country.
Al Okere lives under the constant threat of deportation.
Al says he's proud of his father, but he doesn't remember him. He describes his father as a Nigerian journalist who was killed for his coverage of government corruption.
That sent Al and his mother on the run. They came to the United States when Al was five.
"I'm American," Al says. "I don't know anything else."
Now 21 years old, Al is an honors student at Central Washington University. He and his mother applied for asylum, but it was denied.
She was deported in 2007 and Immigration and Customs Enforcement could deport Al as well.
"It's my entire life. I don't know how to explain," he says. "Imagine having your entire life just dashed."
The YouTube video is part of an online campaign dedicated to Al's plight. More than 12,000 people signed a petition asking he be allowed to stay. He also has the support of CWU's Associated Student Government.
Mike Merz, ASCWU'S Vice President for Legislative Affairs, saw the video and was intrigued. When he saw Al is also a CWU student, he says he knew he had to do something.
"C'mon. Isn't that who we want to keep in this country?" Merz says. "Not only that, we've spent 16 years educating and investing in this young man. And to send that back to Nigeria, I don't understand it. We've invested so much. Why would send that back?"
Merz says the ASCWU will draft letters to Senators Murray and Cantwell and they offer emotional support to Al so he'll know he's not alone in his fight.
Once Al graduates CWU, he hopes to go to the University of Washington and become a doctor. He hopes first, people will learn his name and learn his story.
Then he hopes Immigration will allow him to pursue his American dream.
ICE can't comment on Al's case, but his attorney tells KOMO 4 he is working with immigration officers. He's essentially asking them to make Al a low priority.
He says ICE has the authority to do that, considering Al's model behavior.
A YouTube clip is sweeping across Facebook and Twitter, drawing attention to a local man who could be forced out of the country.
Al Okere lives under the constant threat of deportation.
Al says he's proud of his father, but he doesn't remember him. He describes his father as a Nigerian journalist who was killed for his coverage of government corruption.
That sent Al and his mother on the run. They came to the United States when Al was five.
"I'm American," Al says. "I don't know anything else."
Now 21 years old, Al is an honors student at Central Washington University. He and his mother applied for asylum, but it was denied.
She was deported in 2007 and Immigration and Customs Enforcement could deport Al as well.
"It's my entire life. I don't know how to explain," he says. "Imagine having your entire life just dashed."
The YouTube video is part of an online campaign dedicated to Al's plight. More than 12,000 people signed a petition asking he be allowed to stay. He also has the support of CWU's Associated Student Government.
Mike Merz, ASCWU'S Vice President for Legislative Affairs, saw the video and was intrigued. When he saw Al is also a CWU student, he says he knew he had to do something.
"C'mon. Isn't that who we want to keep in this country?" Merz says. "Not only that, we've spent 16 years educating and investing in this young man. And to send that back to Nigeria, I don't understand it. We've invested so much. Why would send that back?"
Merz says the ASCWU will draft letters to Senators Murray and Cantwell and they offer emotional support to Al so he'll know he's not alone in his fight.
Once Al graduates CWU, he hopes to go to the University of Washington and become a doctor. He hopes first, people will learn his name and learn his story.
Then he hopes Immigration will allow him to pursue his American dream.
ICE can't comment on Al's case, but his attorney tells KOMO 4 he is working with immigration officers. He's essentially asking them to make Al a low priority.
He says ICE has the authority to do that, considering Al's model behavior.
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