Arino Massie, Christian man who was deported back to Indonesia
The Trump administration has deported a Christian man back to Islamic Indonesia where Muslims actually want to persecute Christians. From what I have read, this man has committed no crimes. I hope we can surpass our "USA! USA! USA!" mob mentality, and understand that not everyone deserves deportation. Here is the report:
The tweet from U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J. 6th District) brought the news that supporters of the four Christian Indonesian nationals had dreaded — one of the men has been deported.
"Tragic update to this story: Arino Massie,1 of 4 men detained, is currently on plane to Indonesia. The other 3 men remain at the Detention Center," Pallone tweeted Thursday afternoon.
Seth Kaper-Dale, pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park and Green Party gubernatorial candidate, said Massie's stay of removal was denied leading to immediate deportation attempts.
"His attorney got a call at 10 a.m. that his stay of removal was denied. He called me from an airplane at 11:30 a.m., already on a plane at JFK. Apparently he was taken in the wee hours of Thursday from his room but wasn't allowed to call anyone until he was on the plane," Kaper-Dale said in a statement.
"He has a layover in Japan. I want the President of the U.S. to show that he is concerned about U.S. citizen kids, and that he is concerned about persecuted people," he said.
Pallone's tweet about the deportation was posted 10 days after Massie, Saul Timisela, Rovani Wangko and Oldy Manolo, ethnic Chinese Christians, were detained May 8 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Pallone had also tweeted that he sent staff to a rally at the Detention Center in Elizabeth fighting Arino’s deportation. He thanked those who spoke out against the action.
"These refugees have suffered enough, they shouldn’t be collateral damage of #Trump administration’s extreme & discriminatory policies on imm," Pallone also tweeted.
Kaper-Dale called for the Keep Families Together rally at 625 Evans Ave., outside the Elizabeth Detention Center, on Thursday to call out ICE Field Office Director John Tsoukaris for being cruel and the Trump administration for being "the hate crime administration."
"Massie along with the three other men in discussion, are in particular risk if deported because they lived in sanctuary for one year, the last time ICE decided to prioritize their removal. They are most likely on a targeted list in Indonesia for highlighting the human rights violations and minority religious/ethnic abuses that led to their initial escape," Kaper-Dale said.
He said the four men have been acknowledged by ICE to be "exemplary community members" who would be in "horrific" danger if deported to Indonesia where religious persecution is brutal and far-reaching.
Kaper-Dale asked for support in getting Congress to reintroduce the Indonesia Refugee Family Protection Act. Last week, a representative from Pallone's office said discussions are underway about reintroducing the Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act, which previously did not pass.
"Deporting these individuals is not only detrimental to them, but also to the families they will leave behind and the communities they have helped build," he said in the letter.
He added that Indonesia has a record of persecuting religious minorities for practicing their beliefs. He noted that Mayor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama of Jakarta, the first Christian governor in decades, was arrested May 9 and accused of blasphemy.
"Many worry that the blasphemy law used against Purnama and growing religious intolerance will continue to endanger religious minorities in Indonesia," Pallone said.
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