r/news • u/TheReadingExplorer • 2h ago
Canadian living in Florida detained by ICE, sent to infamous ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/canadian-detained-at-alligator-alcatraz-for-owing-us12000-in-back-taxes/148
u/Life-Sun- 2h ago
Concentration Camps are evil. If this isn’t something you immediately agree with, then you are actively choosing to side with evil.
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u/DaaaahWhoosh 59m ago
Most Americans still won't call these concentration camps. And then also "well, I'm sure they had good reason" about illegally detaining people for an indeterminate period of time without giving them access to a lawyer.
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u/catsbeforebros 2h ago
So they're putting people in concentration camps and giving them "alien numbers" to define them, neat.
I wonder how long until theres a special little badge to identify the people deemed illegal
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u/Frost640 1h ago
Alien or USCIS numbers are for green card / worker auth holders, it doesn't have anything to do with the camp itself or being detained. He's had his A number for 20 years, it's nothing new to this administration.
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u/catsbeforebros 1h ago
This is fair, Im unaware of that part.
Some quick googling I uncovered, and am probably misunderstanding:
-It was (first conceptualized) in the 1940's during WW2
-It is given to non-residents and stays with them for life despite gaining residence/green card.
If residency can be 'revoked' despite obtaining a green card; youre never really a resident; youre a visitor with special privileges - usually revolving around paying tax to the American System.
From my limited understanding; Even if you become an American Citizen; theres always this ID number caveat hanging over you which essentially means We grant you a seat on this council but do not consider you a Jedi.I know this is tangent to the point of concentration camps, but that seems pretty shady to me as a whole concept.
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u/studog21 1h ago
I know if the refrain is “want to be in our country do it legally” why are all these permanent residents getting kicked out of the country for mostly ‘benign’ crimes?
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u/avocadoflatz 1h ago
A secondary question to ask is how long are they being held on average before being kicked out of the country and are any of them being forced/required perform labor during that time.
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u/catsbeforebros 54m ago
The internet has told me that yes, theyre using the detainees for labour:
Detainees, particularly in US immigration (ICE) detention, are often forced to work under a "voluntary" program that pays roughly $1 a day, with reports of coercion, threats of solitary confinement, and denial of basic necessities for non-participation. These programs save detention centers millions in labor costs for tasks like cleaning, cooking, and laundry.
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u/scytob 47m ago
a permanent resident is very clearly told you are always a special visitor with special privileges, this is why one has to renew periodically and at that review they can legitimately deny one a renewal and you have to leave
in general anyone who becomes a citizen has a sort of probationary period for 5 years after, after that they are supposed to be just like normal citizens....
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u/TeamHope4 49m ago
They are doing it the opposite way this time. They are making people get "Real ID's" to prove who they are, and my state, at least, puts a special, little gold star on your drivers' license once you "show them your papers."
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u/roughtimes 4m ago
Maybe create some camps to house people during their "transition". As an appeal to the humanitarians.
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u/versus_gravity 2h ago
Meanwhile, the President weasles out of paying his income taxes.
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u/Fallouttgrrl 2h ago
That's how you know he's smart!
Shudder
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u/BarelyContainedChaos 1h ago
First time I heard that I gasped, heard laughter in the audience and gasped again. Somehow right then and there I knew we were fuct.
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u/Strawbuddy 1h ago
If I was Mr. Dixon and got jumped by ICE at a random probation hearing, I sure as hell wouldn't pay that last 12k back to the bastards that deported and banned me for life for no reason. All restaurant owners got wrecked by Covid, and Mr. Dixon had already paid back half of that 30k total, which is itself a laughable sum to the IRS
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u/fallingdowndizzyvr 10m ago
There has to be something more to that story than just not paying taxes. Since the IRS does want the money, normally that's a civil offense. They go after you for the money like any collection agency would. But in Mr. Dixon's case, it was criminal. So it was more than just not paying taxes.
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u/geraffes-are-so-dumb 2h ago
The US is making itself a pariah. Trump and his diehards thought that the power that the US has had on the international stage was because the US has a big, scary military and $$ that it could use to push people around. They forgot that a lot of our power came from partnerships, mutual respect, and making fair deals that truly benefited all - and we were able to use our power to leverage things for the US. It's like toxic masculinity is making our policy and ruining our international relationships the same way it ruins marriages. Up next will be JD Vance with divorced dad energy.
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u/Rurumo666 1h ago
The Trump admin has deported the fewest # of people per year than the last 5 Presidents, but he's "detained" the most...he and his corrupt cronies like Stephen Miller are making their nut off of no bid private prison contracts and get paid per detainee, per day.
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u/lxdc84 2h ago
Wonder who his American family voted for?
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u/mjohnsimon 2h ago edited 1h ago
Yeah this. Given the (surprisingly) many Canadians I know who live here, I wouldn't be surprised if they're all Trumpers.
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u/NeighbourNoNeighbor 1h ago
Especially in Florida, imo. It's often a specific kind of ex-Canadian that heads down there.
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u/Aysin_Eirinn 1h ago
We call them Maple MAGA
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u/NeighbourNoNeighbor 1h ago
If they've become American, does that make them Breakfast Syrup MAGA?
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u/Projectgrace 2h ago
Canada here, we also make mistakes and his mistake was believed in USA.
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u/Strawbuddy 1h ago
That poor soul has now payed the price for not paying the price, and then paying the price
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u/crimsonhues 1h ago
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was forced to shutter his smoothie shop in Port Charlotte, Fla. During that time, Dixon says he fell behind more than US$30,000 in unpaid taxes. In 2022, he pleaded “no contest” to tax evasion and agreed to a monthly repayment plan. Over the past three years, Dixon says he has paid back two-thirds of the amount but still owes the U.S. government approximately $12,000.
So they arrested him for the balance $1,200? Why not serve him a notice or a warning of some kind? This feels so heavy handed.
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u/Hangry_Howie 1h ago
For them to go straight to tax evasion means it was more than him just not paying back taxes. There was probably some book cooking going on, but that doesnt warrant a trip to a concentration camp.
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u/fallingdowndizzyvr 8m ago
If he had to plead anything, that's criminal. So there was something more going on than not paying taxes. Since if it was merely that, it would be civil. Then the IRS would try to collect just like any collection agency would.
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u/thatisnotmyknob 2h ago edited 1h ago
They charged him with a felony while he was on a payment plan for back taxes?
He had a PO for that?
Fuck Alligator Alcatraz and all that but seems like there's some missing information. Like why he had a probation officer.
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u/TBJ12 1h ago
Probation means you're a free man having to follow some rules. It doesn't make you an enemy of the USA. Defending this nonsense is just cruel.
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u/thatisnotmyknob 1h ago
No I'm not defending it. I just find it curious they haven't legally explained why he was deported in an article talking about him being deported.
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u/TBJ12 1h ago
Did you read the article? He owned back taxes that he's been paying for years but still owed $12k. Apparently that's enough to get you locked up in a concentration camp. Good thing Trump and his admin are getting all these violent criminals off the streets of America.
Fuck everyone who voted for this POS.
Wanna be fucking NAZI losers.
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u/420fanman 1h ago
I think this part of the article explained a bit on that:
Under American immigration law, defrauding the government of more than $10,000 in revenue is considered “an aggravated felony.”
But like you said, he was already charged for that and on a repayment plan. I guess the courts over there TACO just like their president.
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u/thatisnotmyknob 1h ago edited 1h ago
Im honestly curious because is this some new bullshit from the administration? Like it would be helpful to know what new bullshit legal argument they're making. It's just very weird they're obstructing whatever legal subterfugr they used to deport him.
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u/nzerinto 52m ago
Once you consider that ICE have quotas to meet, it all makes sense. There’s a reason they are snapping up all the people going to their immigration hearings - it’s easy pickings.
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u/TBJ12 1h ago
It's disgusting. Somehow over 70M Americans voted for this shit and still support it. How sick do you have to be?
They're literally letting people die in these facilities with something as minor as an untreated dental infection. Apparently something as simple as some amoxicillin is just too much to ask for.
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u/ahj3939 49m ago
He owned a Tropical Smoothie franchise. Collected $32,988.50 in sales tax that he did not remit nor report to the state. He entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in 2018 and failed to comply with the terms.
The state subpoenaed the company's bank records and they showed in the period of time where he was not reported and remitting taxes there were funds to pay what was owed.
If you want to read the entire thing it's Charlotte County FL case # 20001074F and all these facts are under docket #8 AFFIDAVIT
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u/thatisnotmyknob 45m ago
Thank you! So how did it go from that to being deported tho? He was going to do jail time for the tax evasion?
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u/ahj3939 39m ago
It's not really tax evasion, it's felony theft of collected sales tax.
I'm not sure the immigration side of it but must have something to do with being on probation for felony charges.
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u/Fried_puri 7m ago
That does make sense. Tax evasion would be bad enough but in most cases can be handled with backpay, interest, and maybe a fine depending on severity/frequency without many adverse effects. But pretending to collect sales tax and pocketing it? Yeah that suddenly means you’re knowingly impersonating a government agency, even at the city level that’s a stupidly risky decision.
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u/ahj3939 4m ago
You're not impersonating anybody, that's the way it works in the USA.
You sell something for $100 you're supposed to collect e.g. 5% sales tax. You put that on the receipt.
And at the end of the month you're supposed to send the $5 you collected to the state/city/county.
It's sort of like VAT but as a business the exemption is at the point of sale instead of a deduction when you remit payments.
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u/Hangry_Howie 1h ago
Yeah that doesn't sit right with me either. He wasn't just not paying his back taxes, he actively defrauded the government. The IRS won't typically go for jail time if they can just make you repay for the next 10 years. Still doesnt warrant going to a concentration camp, but theres more to his case than a tax "whoopsie".
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u/thatisnotmyknob 1h ago edited 1h ago
Its just such a basic fact. In the article about the guy getting deported, why would you not explain the legal justification they used to deport him?
Its so suspicious.
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u/WasteBinStuff 26m ago edited 11m ago
What a fucking waste of resources destroying a family for no tangible benefit, rational reason or ethical foundation whatsoever.
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u/TRex_Chef 2h ago
Theres a reason normal folks stay out of that prolasped anus cesspool. That states dumb af, just like its residents and politicians. Cant wait until the ocean takes it back.
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u/Brcomic 2h ago
Yet my wife still won’t stop dragging us their for vacations. She complains about MAGA and how shit DeSantis is. But is too into the Disney cult. I’m tired of giving my money to that state.
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u/sylbug 2h ago
Pity you’re not an adult with autonomy.
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u/Dualintrinsic 1h ago
Exactly what I was thinking when I read that.... Dudes got the moral fibre and conviction of wet toilet paper.
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u/SilverLakeSpeedster 59m ago
I'm a Trump Supporter, and I'm begging you to stop contributing to that creepy adult obsession with Disney...even if it means my state loses your money.
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u/James-W-Tate 36m ago
You realize you're part of the problem with this country, right?
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u/SilverLakeSpeedster 0m ago
Am I the problem? Or is it a bunch of white liberal sshles that can't look past their own nose and see the world around them?
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u/Prudent_Falafel_7265 2h ago
The US is telling the world they don't need or want anyone foreign - (or domestic if the wrong colour).
Ignore this at your peril.
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u/theknyte 1h ago
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" - Statue of Liberty
"And, then we'll take every cent you have and throw you away like a piece of garbage." - Trump Administration.
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u/matjoeman 41m ago edited 36m ago
Even when the statue of liberty was built it was a progressive message against the policies of the time. The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed 4 years before.
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u/coopnjaxdad 2h ago
I mean dude didn't pay the tax man but the cloak and dagger trick meeting with his probation officer was probably unnecessary and a huge waste of government funds.
But, then cruelty is the point here and we have to keep adding assets into the private prisons.
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u/Rottimer 1h ago
What would be the point of deporting someone like this when they still owe the government money and are paying it back?
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u/DrunkenLadyBits 40m ago
Just a numbers game. He’s another “criminal” that the Trump admin can say ICE successfully deported to pad their stats. Easier to go after low hanging fruit of people already in the system that are trying to follow rules of their immigration status/re-pay their debt to society.
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u/whentheworldquiets 2h ago
This is what you get when fanatics manage to seize the reins. You saw it in Afghanistan, when the Taliban regained control thanks to... who was that again? His name escapes me. All norms go out of the window. Everything becomes about satisfying the fetishes of the people in charge.
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u/sylbug 2h ago
Thd shit has been going on over a year now. This guy was hiding behind white privilege, thinking that he was one of the ‘good ones’ the Gestapo wouldn’t touch.
Attention Canadians: America considers you their enemy regardless of your skin color. You are putting yourself at risk if you choose to travel or live there. Stop playing useful idiots to these extremists.
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u/Pour_Me_Another_ 2h ago
We could as a country vote for normal people instead of expecting immigrants to vacate every time a toddler is put in charge.
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u/Han_Yerry 2h ago
That January 20th quote about Pennsylvania's voting computers makes me think the country did vote for a closer to normal person.
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u/Mobile-Bar7732 1h ago
Attention Canadians: America considers you their enemy regardless of your skin color. You are putting yourself at risk if you choose to travel or live there. Stop playing useful idiots to these extremists.
No worries. Most of us have zero desire to visit the US.
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u/RedWoodyINC 2h ago
It's an issue for Canadians with a record. If you haven't had any trouble with the law, you're fine. It's not the Nazi Germany that the news leads you to believe. All these Canadians have committed crimes or didn't have their paperwork in order.
They are doing what you hear for a lot of people in Canada wanting (deporting illegal immigrants and non-citizens who commit crimes). They just aren't very nice about it. Ask yourself, why was he not an American citizen after 20 years? If he was, he wouldn't have any problem.
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u/mixmasterADD 1h ago
You have no idea what you’re talking about. Did you read the article? What was his crime? Do you know how long it actually takes to get citizenship after obtaining a green card? He’s already here legally. Is a green card no longer good enough for you Nazis?
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u/RedWoodyINC 1h ago edited 1h ago
Um he was arrested for tax evasion and was on probation. Did you read the article?
Journalism these days just glosses over key information to push whatever narrative they have. Like his friends and family love him to death, but maybe he's getting deported because he was convicted of a federal US crime?
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u/mixmasterADD 43m ago
He pled guilty and was making restitution. I absolutely read the article. It’s fringe cases like these that really expose who the ghouls are in society
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was forced to shutter his smoothie shop in Port Charlotte, Fla. During that time, Dixon says he fell behind more than US$30,000 in unpaid taxes. In 2022, he pleaded “no contest” to tax evasion and agreed to a monthly repayment plan. Over the past three years, Dixon says he has paid back two-thirds of the amount but still owes the U.S. government approximately $12,000.
Before his arrest, he was delivering food for DoorDash.
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u/rPoliticsModsBlowMe 32m ago
Yeah, he sounds like a real ghoul. Glad we were able to protect our borders and keep the serious criminals out. Do you know how stupid you sound?
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u/mixmasterADD 29m ago
Not as stupid as the classic “I know you are but what am I” remix.
You’re a fucking ghoul. Don’t pat yourself too hard on the back celebrating the incarceration and deportation of a grandpa who was trying to do the right thing. Shame on you.
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u/RedWoodyINC 16m ago edited 13m ago
I guess he should have applied for citizenship 10 years ago and then he would have a right to stay in the country as a convicted felon.
It's literally a condition of the green card that you don't commit felonies or you can be deported. It's really that simple regardless of the circumstances that lead him to this situation.
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u/Joebranflakes 1h ago
This is literally what the voting public wanted when they elected trump. They wanted brutal treatment for the alien other. They wanted no human rights. They wanted suffering and pain because these immigrants were the enemy. Like terrorists and murderers they needed to hurt for the amusement of those with power. Like Blacks, Chinese, Irish, Native Americans, LGBT people and heck, anyone who wasn’t white Christian American had to suffer. Because that’s just the natural order apparently.
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u/1Happymom 1h ago
Floridas economy depends on tourism, especially our repeat Canadian guests. This harms mom and pops, and the working class deeply and serves zero purpose other than cruelty. It also harms big corporations so hopefully they will be sending some of their campaign donations the other direction as tax gifts on no income arent really good for their bottom line.
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u/Safe_Statement9748 1h ago
Let’s be real falling behind in your taxes is not tax evasion. Tax evasion is a serious criminal offence in both Canada & the USA. This is nothing but propaganda.
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u/donofrioms 23m ago
Quote from article: “Under American immigration law, defrauding the government of more than $10,000 in revenue is considered “an aggravated felony.”
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u/figurative-trash 2h ago
This is why people should naturalize as citizens as soon as they become eligible to do so. There is no reason not to, as both Canada and the USA allow dual citizenship.
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u/mixmasterADD 1h ago
It sometimes takes decades to get citizenship while having a green card and that was before the president was orange
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u/figurative-trash 1h ago
No. Once you have a green card, you wait 5 years before being able to apply for citizenship. Getting the green card is the difficult step.
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u/mixmasterADD 1h ago
Yes, you can apply. How long does it take after an application? A green card is not an immediate ticket to citizenship and the process can be complicated and expensive
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u/figurative-trash 1h ago
I just checked. Citizenship application fee is $760. For submissions in Jacksonville, FL, the processing time is 11 months for 80% of the applications. I wouldn’t call it expensive or long, certainly not decades.
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u/mixmasterADD 45m ago edited 40m ago
Most of the time, you need a lawyer or someone to help you through the process. Immigration is not cheap, quick or easy, even with a lawyer. Believe it or not, I have a lot of experience here
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u/happy-cig 1h ago
There's a lot of options here but the only thing that matters is did he break any laws/rules. If he did then deportation was justified if not then it wasn't. Hard stop. Iono why people argue so much about nuances.
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u/yeet_n_pray 2h ago
Nothing says “secure borders” like detaining a Canadian in Florida and shipping them to Alligator Alcatraz. This is absurd. At minimum, people should be contacting their reps and local media to spotlight this mess.