Highland Park Indonesian Christians Jailed By ICE, Reversing Long Practice

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ — With his crackdown on illegal immigration, President Donald Trump says ICE agents are only arresting dangerous, violent undocumented immigrants, such as those involved in gangs or drug-related crimes.

But this week in Highland Park, a very different story is unfolding: Four Indonesian Christian men who previously were allowed to stay in the U.S. as long as they abided by the law and checked in with ICE regularly, were detained. Even though these four men have been living in New Jersey for years without an issue, they were sent this week to the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, where they are currently.

The four men — Oldy Manopo, Arino Massie, Saul Timisela, Rovani Wangko — are Christians who fled Indonesia from religious persecution in the 1990s. They originally came to the U.S. on a tourist visa, which they overstayed.

They were denied asylum in the '90s. According to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, all asylum applicants must file their petitions within a year of entering the U.S. All four applied for asylum after the deadline, and their petitions were denied, according to the Asbury Park Press, which first reported the story.

The men and their families then claimed sanctuary at the Reformed Church of Highland Park.

In 2011, Congressman Frank Pallone (D) introduced legislation that would allow certain Indonesians the opportunity to file a motion to reopen their asylum cases. Ultimately, these men were given a "stay of removal," or temporary permission to remain in the country as long as they abided by the law and checked in with ICE regularly, which they did. They also became active participants in the community, Rep. Pallone said. The men all have wives or children here in the U.S. now. Every year, as required, they checked in with immigration agents and had their stay renewed.

This March, the four men reported to ICE for their annual check-in. They were told to return in two months with their passports. When they returned on Monday, they were detained and sent to the Elizabeth detention center.

What does ICE have to say?

ICE spokesman Luis Martinez said any undocumented immigrant can be arrested and face deportation proceedings. It is then up to an immigration judge to determine if an applicant can stay.

"The U.S. government provides all those in removal proceedings with an opportunity to apply and be considered for relief from removal," he said. "After considering the merits of each case, if an immigration judge finds an individual ineligible for any form of relief, the judge will issue a final order of removal, which ICE carries out in accordance with applicable U.S. law."

And ICE is no longer making exceptions for certain classes of undocumented immigrants, as they did under the Obama administration.

"As (Dept. of Homeland Security) Secretary (John) Kelly has made clear, ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement," Martinez told Patch. "Aliens who illegally enter the United States and those who overstay or otherwise violate the terms of their visas have violated our nation’s laws and can pose a threat to national security and public safety."

Supporters of these men can hardly believe they are described as security threats.

“Oldy Manopo, Arino Massie, Saul Timisela, Rovani Wangko have cooperated with federal officials during their time in the United States and every year they checked in with ICE and had their stay renewed," said Rep. Pallone. "Now, they are the collateral damage of the Trump administration’s inflexible, extreme and discriminatory policies on immigration.”

Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park, was more blunt:

"My greatest concern is they will be sent away from their families here in America," he told the Asbury Park Press. "Never use the words 'family values' with me again, Republicans."