ICE Is 'Un-American,' Says Businessman Deported after Nearly 40 Years in U.S.

An Ohio businessman who called the United States his home for nearly 40 years before being deported three weeks ago has hit out at the country's Immigration and Custom's Enforcement (ICE) agency, accusing it of using "un-American" tactics to arrest undocumented immigrants.

Amer Othman, who came to the United States from Jordan 38 years ago and had been credited with helping revive his local Youngstown community, was arrested during what he thought was a routine meeting with immigration authorities, according to CBS News.

After being detained for two weeks, the businessman was deported to Jordan, his country of birth, and forced to leave behind his wife and four adult daughters, all of whom are U.S. citizens.

"What ICE has done is un-American," Othman said, telling CBS he was considering suing the agency. "I love the American people. I love my community."

Othman, a descendent of Palestinian refugees who fled to Jordan from Jerusalem during the 1948 war over Israel's creation, said he first arrived in the U.S. in 1979.

He said he had been trying for years to join his family in becoming a U.S. citizen, with his legal battle to stay in the U.S. dating back to the mid-1990s when immigration authorities allegedly refused to renew his green card.

At the time, they alleged that his first marriage to a U.S. citizen in 1980 had been fraudulent. Othman denied that charge and said his ex-wife had retracted an initial statement, which she said was made under duress.

The couple had divorced by 1982, after which Othman met his second wife, Fidaa Musleh, in 1988. The pair moved to Brazil for three years for business and when they returned to the U.S., Othman's application for a new green card was rejected.

Read more: Police Who Help ICE Detain Undocumented Immigrants Could Be 'Violating Fourth Amendment,' Experts Say

"He's tried every single thing. They made it almost impossible for him. Citizenship would be absolutely amazing. That's what he's been striving for the entire time," one of Othman's daughters, Haneen Adi, told the news broadcaster.

Othman had first opened a convenience store and deli in Ohio in 2011, later adding a bar and hookah bar, as well as buying another building in the Youngstown area.

In August, however, ICE reportedly told him he had 30 days to leave the country. The agency agreed to extend his departure date to January 7.

After the father of four held a news conference pleading for help to stay in the country, ICE told him the deadline was canceled and asked him to report to the agency two weeks later. Believing he had won a reprieve, Othman attended the meeting with ICE officials only to be arrested upon arrival and informed of plans to deport him.

Adi said the move to deport her father defied a unanimous vote by the Judiciary Subcommittee in Immigration and Border Control in favor of postponing his removal from the U.S. She believes it is the first reported case in which ICE has gone against a decision from the subcommittee.

ICE spokesperson Rachael Yong Yow confirmed to Newsweek that "Mr. Othman was removed January 30 to Jordan without incident."

She said that after conducting a "comprehensive review" of Othman's case, "including careful consideration of the Chair of the Judiciary Committee's request for an investigative report, ICE has chosen not to grant a stay of removal in his case."

The ICE spokesperson said that Othman's case had undergone "exhaustive judicial review at multiple levels of the nation's courts" over the last decade and that "in each review, the courts have uniformly held that Mr. Othman does not have a legal basis to remain in the U.S."

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan condemned the decision to deport Othman, writing in a statement, "Amer was a pillar of the community and brought commerce to a downtown that craved investment. He hired members of our community. He paid taxes. He did everything right."

The congressman hit out at President Donald Trump and said he hopes the U.S. leader "comes to realize that when his words become public policy in places like Youngstown, families like Amer's are ripped apart."

"I am deeply saddened and extremely disappointed with this outcome. I'm sad that America, and the American Presidency has become a place where politics outweighs doing what is right," Ryan added.

He said he would continue to do "whatever I can" to support Othman's family, who are still in Youngstown.

Othman said he has not given up hope of returning to the Ohio community and will continue to fight to return to the U.S.

Yow said that anyone "who is granted relief through the enactment of a private immigration bill can lawfully travel back to the United States," adding that beneficiaries of such a bill do not need to be present in the U.S. for such a bill to be enacted.