US Green Card Holder Detained at Airport, Deported Over Decades-Long Case

A U.S. immigration judge has ordered the deportation and lifetime ban from the United States of a long-time lawful permanent resident after federal authorities determined past drug-related convictions could be classified as an aggravated felony, even though the offenses occurred decades ago when he was a teenager. 

Owen Ramsingh, a green card holder originally from the Netherlands who immigrated to the United States in 1986 and had lived there for most of his life, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Chicago airport on September 27 as he returned from a trip to Europe. His detention and the subsequent ruling came as he was in the process of renewing his permanent resident card, which had been extended pending a decision by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

Ramsingh’s family has said he had two drug-related incidents on his record: a cocaine-related charge from 1997 when he was 16 and a marijuana-related incident from 2011. His wife, Diana, told Newsweek that her husband had spent most of his adult life building a stable life after his youth and that the family had believed all legal options had been pursued to prevent his removal, including renewal of his green card. The judge’s decision, she said, was based on the earlier conviction, and the immigration order includes a lifetime ban from the United States that could be eligible for waiver only after eight to ten years. 

After the judge’s order, ICE began proceedings to send Ramsingh to the Netherlands, where his father lives. His wife and daughter plan to visit him briefly before returning to Missouri to close out affairs before relocating to Europe early next year. Diana said the family faces “overwhelming” challenges, including leaving behind their community, jobs and their daughter’s schooling, and adjusting to life in a country where they do not speak the language. 

The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly emphasized that permanent residency is a privilege, not a right, and that green card holders may be subject to revocation if they are charged with or convicted of crimes that U.S. immigration law defines as deportable. In similar cases, officials have noted that even relatively minor convictions can have significant immigration consequences years later when individuals encounter border or immigration authorities. 

Ramsingh’s case has drawn attention to how decades-old criminal records can affect long-standing residents’ ability to remain in the United States, and highlights the expanding scope of enforcement under current U.S. immigration policy. Advocates for immigrants’ rights argue that such enforcement can separate families and uproot lives built over many years, particularly when convictions occurred in youth and have not resulted in subsequent legal issues.