Resident with a Green Card in process is arrested after being involved in a car accident
Oladipo Oyeneyin was not directly involved in the incident
What seemed to be a simple car incident for Oladipo Oyeneyin, a Nigerian citizen who has lived in the United States for more than 15 years and with a Green Card process in progress, ended up becoming the beginning of a an authentic odyssey to get his life back.
According to Newsweek, Oladipo Oyeneyin was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being involved in a road incident, of which no details were revealed, and in which he bore no responsibility.
The arrest occurred while his application for permanent residence was still being processed, a situation that has raised questions about the way immigration authorities act in cases where immigration status has not yet been resolved.
An immigration process paused due to the detention
As reported by Newsweek, Oyeneyin had been building his life in the United States for more than a decade, with strong work and community ties. His green card application was under review by authorities when he was arrested and taken to an ICE detention center following the crash.
According to information included in the GoFundMe campaign started by Oladipo's friends and colleagues, the Nigerian native lost his job and was unable to continue paying his lawyer to obtain permanent residency.
Oyeneyin is currently being held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, awaiting the resolution of his case.
Oladipo's History: The Possible Reason for His Arrest
According to court documents cited by Newsweek, Oyeneyin has faced previous legal problems. Houston records show he was charged with assaulting a family member in 2018, a Class A misdemeanor, for which he was paroled in 2022.Texas state court records reveal that in 2019 he was arrested by the Harris County Sheriff's Office on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Despite the above, a close friend of Oladipo Oyeneyin highlighted in the GoFundMe campaign Oladipo's hardworking nature and his desire to continue building his life in the United States, a country he has called home for years.
For her part, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin reiterated that ICE's actions respond to a federal mandate to prioritize the detention and deportation of foreigners with criminal records, without directly mentioning Oyeneyin.