Young Enfield Man at Risk for Deportation [VIDEO]

ENFIELD, CT — A young man who was a standout football player at Enfield High School, graduated from Asnuntuck Community College and works as assistant manager at a local business may be deported due to the recently-announced repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program by the Trump administration.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney recently met with Shaquille Jessop about his experience growing up as an undocumented immigrant in the United States from Barbados.

After a stellar football career at Enfield High School, Jessop received several offers to play in college, but was unable to access financial aid due to his undocumented status. He is now registered under the DACA program that grants work permits and temporarily removes the threat of deportation of undocumented residents who arrived in the United States as children.

“Since the announcement by Attorney General Sessions that the Trump administration is going to terminate the DACA program, my office has been deluged with calls and emails from people across the district who are opposed to that change,” Courtney said. “Included in one of the emails was a story about a young man in Enfield named Shaquille Jessup, who is a graduate of the local high school and was actually one of the outstanding football players on the team. Despite his significant talent, he was unable able to take advantage of college scholarships to continue playing football because when he was 16 years old, he discovered that since he was brought to the U.S. as a young child he is an undocumented migrant...I think anyone listening to Shaquille’s story will understand that it’s time for Congress to take up the DREAM Act, pass it, and send it to President Trump’s desk for signature.”

Jessop explained, “I came to America when I was five. I was visiting my dad and I guess I was here on a visitor’s visa for two years and after two years he just kept me here and put me in school. After a while, I figured out that I didn’t have citizenship or anything, and it was probably my sophomore year in high school where my dad and my stepmom kind of just disappeared and left me alone. I had a couple [college] offers for football, but realized I couldn’t get financial aid because I wasn’t a citizen. I ended up at Asnuntuck and spent two years there where I got my associates. My junior year in high school, that’s when the DACA program came out I believe. My uncle jumped right on that and got me the Social Security number and then we applied for DACA and I was accepted so then I was able to work.”

Jay Gaucher, Jessop’s football coach with the Raiders, said, “Shaq is a great young man. He played football for me for four years and was a very good football player, but more importantly, a person of high character. He was always a great young man, always caring for everyone in school, and has an infectious smile that lights up a room. I can’t tell you one person who talks to him and doesn’t leave feeling better about themselves. I feel blessed to have coached him and to have helped him through his immigration struggles. He always continued to work and do what he had to do. Where he is and the fact that he’s continued to battle says a lot about his character. Most other people would have given up in that spot.”

Courtney is a cosponsor of the DREAM Act that will codify DACA and allow Jessop and others like him to continue contributing to American society.

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Story, photo and video courtesy of Congressman Joe Courtney