Thread: {Sob}Deportation to Senegal leaves Sory Fofana's family pain

Deportation to Senegal leaves Sory Fofana's family in pain
BY NICOLE BODE

Monday, June 16th 2008, 4:30 PM


Xanthos/News

The Fofana family (from l.) Abdou, 4; Bintou, 10; Bouya, 2; mother Fatoumata, 31, Aminata, 8; Fanta, 11, and Npenda, 5.


Sory Fofana's family has been without him since he was deported to Senegal last November.
Eleven-year-old Fanta Fofana spoke barely above a whisper as she described the day immigration officers burst into her Bronx apartment and took her dad.

"I was sleeping with my sisters and my cousins," Fanta said, her eyes downcast. "The police came and took my father away from my family. I was born here and I can't believe my country would do this to me."

Fanta said she has spoken to her dad, Senegalese national Sory Fofana, 47, many times since his deportation last November. He tells her not to worry and that he'll come back soon, she said.

But after an immigration court determined that Fofana improperly overstayed his visa, in violation of a prior order to leave the country in 1998, that seems unlikely, immigration officials said.

Now, Fanta and her five younger siblings pray that their undocumented immigrant mother isn't the next to go - stripping them of both their parents.

They've been getting help from the New Sanctuary Movement (www.newsanctuarymovement.org), a local multifaith advocacy group working to keep undocumented immigrant parents and their U.S. citizen kids together.

The year-old group has 22 participating congregations across the city, including those from Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths, organizers said.

The group provides material, spiritual and legal support. It runs a food pantry and holds English classes to help immigrants get the skills needed to survive in this country, organizers said.

Advocates are also pushing to reform immigration laws to let judges consider the needs of U.S.-born children when determining the fate of undocumented parents. One such bill, the Child Citizen Protection Act, was introduced by Rep. José Serrano (D-Bronx) in February.

"We shouldn't be in the business of separating families," said Shaykh Bashir, of the House of Peace in Harlem, part of the New Sanctuary Movement. "The idea of [the children] going to foster care ... is unconscionable."

Bashir said he's not pushing for blanket amnesty. "If a person's a criminal, I don't want them here," he said.

But he believes parents working here to support their citizen children deserve some leeway.

Fanta's mother, who has lived here for more than a decade, agreed.

"I want to stay with my children. They need me. I need them," said Fatoumata, 31, who asked that only her first name be used. "There are no children who deserve to be without [their] father or mother

You can leave a comment and tell them about Alipac at
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bro ... fofan.html

Now, Fanta and her five younger siblings pray that their undocumented immigrant mother isn't the next to go - stripping them of both their parents.

Why wasn't the mother given an order to report to the courts when her husband was taken? She should be be under a deportation order.

The Fofana family (from l.) Abdou, 4; Bintou, 10; Bouya, 2; mother Fatoumata, 31, Aminata, 8; Fanta, 11, and Npenda, 5.

Six kids and the mother is only 31. I'm sure the family is living off of taxpayers and was even before the husband was deported.

There is nobody stopping you from taking your children with you...cut the sobbing crap....I'm sorry but this is getting old, we are not separating their familys THEY ARE!!

Hundreds of thousand of American born children are raised in other country's everyday....do they honestly think that we are that stupid to believe this crap.

Originally Posted by MW

Now, Fanta and her five younger siblings pray that their undocumented immigrant mother isn't the next to go - stripping them of both their parents.

Why wasn't the mother given an order to report to the courts when her husband was taken? She should be be under a deportation order.

Hardship, you know someone has to stay with all those kids but the court could order her to meet her husband in their country, the choice of the fate of their kids is up to them.

If they have any family values, the fate of the kids and where they will live is not even an option....mine would be with me, no matter where I was.

I was born here and I can't believe my country would do this to me."

IMO, this child is NOT a citizen of the U.S. Both parents are illegal. THE 14TH AMENDMENT NEEDS TO BE REVITALIZED AND RECONFIRMED THAT AUTOMATIC CITIZENSHIP DOES NOT OCCUR WHEN BOTH PARENTS ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS!

I cannot begin to tell you how much these TYPES of stories make my blood pressure rise an additional 100 points! An illegal invader has five children and here I am an educated American citizen who cannot even afford one child! In fact at 41, I probably will give up on ever having children as it's getting late in the ball game to go down that road.

Yet on the other end of the spectrum, we have illegal invaders who seemingly can pump out as many babies as is humanly possible while we, the tax payer, are forced to subsidize this outrageous behavior! Our government has failed us miserably...

BLOOD BOIL ALERT!

Well the supreme court decision yesterday may just keep her here.

This is the problem with the anchor baby situation. We need to change the law and have a constitutional amendment if possible about it.

OK...comment added.....