An Army veteran who has lived in the U.S. for 50 years was recently deported to Jamaica despite having an active appeal, according to CBS News.
Godfrey Wade was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, where he remained for nearly five months before he was deported, CBS News reported. Wade came to the U.S. lawfully in 1975, enlisted in the Army, served overseas, and was honorably discharged. In September 2025, he was pulled over for failing to use a turn signal and was arrested for driving without a license, the outlet reported.
ICE detained Wade following his arrest due to a 2014 removal order linked to a 2007 bounced check and a 2006 simple assault charge. The assault charge did not involve physical violence, and Wade paid the bounced check and related fines, according to his attorney. ICE cited the 2014 removal order when officials claimed Wade did not show up for a hearing that same year, according to CBS News. (RELATED: Judge Halves Sentence Of Completely Unrepentant Rapist)
Wade was unaware of the removal order until he was arrested, his attorney said, and the hearing notices sent to the address used by ICE were returned as undeliverable, according to court records cited by CBS News.
Yesterday, I sent a letter to Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons ⁰urging DHS to immediately halt the removal of GA resident & U.S. Army veteran Godfrey Wade. After 8 years of honorable service, Mr. Wade faces deportation without due process. Our system must uphold dignity… pic.twitter.com/4rHc7YSszS
— Rep. David Scott (@repdavidscott) February 6, 2026
Democratic Georgia Rep. David Scott sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Feb. 5 asking that Wade be given the chance to have his case heard in court and his removal be halted.
“Mr. Wade served honorably on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1987, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment,” Scott wrote, according to a letter cited by 11 Alive. “He entered the United States in 1975 with his mother and was a longtime lawful permanent resident. Mr. Wade has raised six U.S. citizen children, has grandchildren, and describes himself as a family man and person of faith.”
“Mr. Wade’s attorney attests that the government’s own Record of Proceedings reflects repeated failures of notice, raising serious concerns that Mr. Wade never received actual notice of the hearings that led to his removal order.”
“I respectfully request that the Department give due and fair consideration to using its broad discretionary authority to ensure that Mr. Wade, who served this country honorably in uniform, is afforded a day in court, so that an Immigration Judge may evaluate his case based on a complete record before removal occurs,” the same letter continues.
Wade was deported on Feb. 5, the same day Scott sent the letter, 11 Alive reported.
When Wade was arrested in September, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said his criminal history included “domestic assault, criminal trespass, reckless conduct, deposit account fraud, violation of probation, multiple arrests for driving on a suspended license,” according to Newsweek.
Wade’s legal team is continuing to pursue an appeal despite his deportation, 11 Alive reported. An emergency stay of the removal was denied, Wade’s attorney said, according to CBS News.
The Daily Caller contacted DHS and ICE, neither of whom immediately commented on Wade’s case.