An Andover mother has launched a fundraising campaign to help support her son’s family after he was detained in the United States and now faces deportation back to the UK.
Jennifer Sweeney created a GoFundMe page after her son, who has lived in America for more than 10 years, was arrested during a routine traffic stop in Knoxville, Tennessee. The detention was linked to an immigration matter after he overstayed his visa.
Since his arrest, he has been transferred between several facilities, including centres in Atlanta and Alabama, before being moved to an immigration detention centre in Louisiana, where he is currently awaiting deportation.
The father-of-five, who is self-employed, has built his life in the United States over the past decade. He is married and has five children aged between three and 11.
Ms Sweeney said the family’s lives had been turned upside down by the sudden detention.
“Our family is going through the hardest time we have ever faced,” she said.
“Everything changed suddenly when he was pulled over by the local sheriff and taken to county jail in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Since then, he has been transferred from Knoxville to Atlanta, then Alabama, and is now being held in an overcrowded immigration detention centre in Louisiana awaiting deportation back to the UK.”
She said the uncertainty surrounding the situation had left the family struggling emotionally and financially.
Her daughter-in-law is currently caring for the couple’s five young children while attempting to manage the challenges of daily life without her husband.
According to Ms Sweeney, communication is limited to a handful of short telephone calls each day, which require money to be sent to the detention centre’s phone system.
The family’s difficulties have been compounded by further financial pressures after the children’s mother experienced problems with her vehicle, making everyday tasks such as school runs, appointments and shopping increasingly difficult.
Ms Sweeney said asking for help had not come naturally to the family but felt they had no alternative.
“As a family, we never imagined we would find ourselves in this position, and asking for help does not come easily,” she said.
“But right now, we urgently need support to help this family stay afloat and hopefully reunite together.”
Funds raised through the campaign will help cover emergency travel costs for the children’s mother and the five children, household bills, daily living expenses, communication costs and expenses linked to his return to the UK.
Ms Sweeney said any support, whether through donations or by sharing the fundraising page, would be greatly appreciated as the family navigates what she described as an incredibly difficult and uncertain period.