Georgia
Georgia Army veteran deported to Jamaica after ICE detention
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A man who once defended America now waits in a foreign country, seeking justice from the same system he fought to protect.
On Monday, Army veteran Godfrey Wade said he’s still getting used to his new life after being deported to Jamaica.
On Feb. 5, Wade, 66, was deported to Jamaica after serving roughly six months in ICE detention.
“They just dump you in a country you haven’t been. I haven’t been to this country in 30 years,” said Wade in an interview with Atlanta News First.
Wade’s attorney, Tony Kozycki, said Wade legally immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager. He served in the U.S. Army for four years in the 1980s before starting a family in Georgia.
“I, for one, loved the uniform,” he recalled about his time in the 7th Infantry Division, serving in Germany during the Cold War. “The discipline and the consistency of what that institution represents — be all you can be.”
After his military service, Wade, a green card holder, started a life in Georgia and worked in food services, including at H&F Burgers at The Battery in Atlanta, and most recently at the Georgia State Capitol.
In September 2025, Kozycki said Wade was pulled over for failing to use a turn signal. He also did not have a valid license.
During a traffic stop by the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office, Wade was taken into ICE custody due an immigration hold.
Kozycki said that immigration hold was tied to a missed court hearing from 2014 and convictions from nearly 20 years ago.
Kozycki said Wade did not know about that 2014 hearing because he never received a Notice to Appear in 2012.
In documents provided to Atlanta Never First, on Feb. 7, 2012, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a Notice to Appear, ordering Wade to show cause for why he should not be removed from the United States.
The document indicated Wade was served in person. However, that box appears to be scratched out, and instead a box “by regular mail” was marked.
The letter was addressed not to a residence but to the immigration court at “US ICE 180 Spring Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303.”
“You’re supposed to have notice that you have to be there,” Kozycki explained. “That never happened. They then start sending letters to an address that was not associated with him.”
The hearing proceeded without him in 2014. Wade didn’t learn about the missed court date until 2019, when he attempted to renew his green card.
The underlying issues triggering the deportation proceeding dated back even further. According to the Notice to Appear, Wade was convicted on Jan. 31, 2008, of simple assault in violation of Georgia law, and on Jan. 28, 2008, of deposit account fraud, from a bounced check, both from Douglas County Superior Court.
Wade had since repaid the fraudulent check and resolved the assault charge through a plea deal, according to Kozycki.
Kozycki argued these old cases should not have resulted in a deportation, especially given Wade’s decades of lawful residency, military service and community contributions.
After his September 2025 traffic stop, Wade was transported to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
Wade says he never received a chance to go before a judge and argue his case to stay in the United States.
“I’m not asking for more for myself. I want what I just deserve, no more, no less,” Wade said. “And if so be the case, I put my trust in the justice system of this great country of America.”
Congressman David Scott, who represents Rockdale County, where Wade is from, wrote directly to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, pleading for Wade to have his case heard before a judge. The letter went unanswered.
From Jamaica, Wade faces an uphill battle to reclaim his life. His family — including six children and grandchildren — are devastated by the separation.
“It weighs very heavily on our family,” said his fiancée, April Watkins.
Financial burdens compound the emotional toll, with Wade now starting over with nothing but “the clothes on my back.”
His family started a community fundraiser to help offset the legal fees and the financial burden to live away from Georgia.
“When people fall in love with this country, we really love this country, and we want this country to love us back,” he said.
Requests to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment on why Wade was not afforded a hearing before deportation went unanswered.
Wade’s case highlights a broader truth, according to his attorney.
“Godfrey Wade’s case is really a highlight that if we are going to do this, we need to do it the right way,” Kozycki said. “If we need to fix our immigration system, we need to take great care in doing it.”
Kozycki is urging members of the public to contact lawmakers, state and federal, about Wade’s case.
The family launched an online petition to try to stop Wade’s deportation.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Storm activity is expected to fire up around midday, starting inland from the Gulf sea breeze. From there, storms will track eastward at 20-25 mph, and that faster movement is actually good news for flooding concerns.
Some minor, temporary flooding is possible through tonight, especially in low-lying areas and spots that typically flood during heavy rain events.
The best chances for stronger storms and heavier rainfall will be north and near I-10 during the afternoon and evening hours.
The Weather Prediction Center has placed roughly the northern two-thirds of the area under a marginal risk of excessive rainfall.
What to expect through the night
Rain chances will stay elevated into the evening but should taper off after midnight. However, inland Northeast Florida could see a late round of showers or storms develop due to enhanced west coast sea breeze.
Gusty winds and frequent lightning can’t be ruled out. Always have your indoor plan ready to go for shelter access.
Cooler temperatures, patchy fog round out the forecast
High temperatures will run below average, topping out in the mid-to-upper 80s. Overnight lows will range from the upper 60s to near 70 degrees across inland Southeast Georgia, with mid-70s expected closer to the Atlantic coast.
Patchy fog is expected early this morning and again Sunday morning. Brief periods of dense fog are possible, so drivers should use caution on the roads during those early morning hours.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Georgia baseball will resume its NCAA Athens Regional game with Long Island at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 29, after persistent rain—heavy at times—forced the suspension of the game.
The Bulldogs have a commanding 15-1 lead with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth.
The teams and some fans waited out a delay that started 7:14 p.m.
The game was suspended officially at 9:06 p.m. Long Island players were already grabbing their equipment in the dugout to depart for the team hotel before then.
The winner of Georgia-LIU will play No. 3 seed Liberty Saturday in the double-elimination tournament in a game scheduled for 5 p.m.
The loser will play No. 2 seed Boston College at noon.
The No. 3 national seed Bulldogs hit six homers before the game was delayed due to heavy rain.
There was a 53 percent chance of rain at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to weather.com, decreasing to 17 percent at 11 a.m., but there’s a threat of storms in the afternoon.
The Georgia Public Service Commission this week approved a plan expected to reduce utility bills for Georgia Power customers by a few dollars a month.
The commission said the change will generate about $285 million in total annual savings for Georgia Power customers, or roughly $50 per year — about $4.04 per month — for the average residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month.
The Georgia PSC voted Thursday to lower overall rates as part of the approved plan.
Georgia Power Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Tyler Cook said the decision will provide “real savings for Georgia families and businesses as the heat of summer begins and energy use increases.”
“At Georgia Power, our teams work every day to run our business efficiently and keep reliable and affordable energy flowing to our customers,” Cook said.
Cook said the outcome followed months of work between Georgia Power and PSC staff, including reviews, public hearings and input from residents and intervenors.
The approved plan is tied to a stipulated agreement reached earlier this month involving two cases filed with the PSC in February, the Fuel Cost Recovery case and the Storm Cost Recovery case. Those cases addressed recovering fuel costs used to generate electricity and expenses tied to restoring power after storms.
Georgia Power said its rates remain, on average, about 15% below the national average and that it is still on track to provide additional annual savings of about $102 per year for typical residential customers beginning in 2029.
-
New Jersey3 minutes agoDueling protests face off at New Jersey ICE detention center over detainee conditions
-
New Mexico10 minutes agoSunny and warm weekend ahead for New Mexico
-
North Carolina13 minutes agoCarolina Lands Alexandros Samodurov; Greek Big Man Completes UNC Frontcourt
-
North Dakota18 minutes agoBankruptcies for North Dakota and western Minnesota May 30, 2026
-
Ohio25 minutes agoOhio woman broke into ex’s home while he was sleeping, started shooting: police
-
Oklahoma28 minutes agoH-E-B hooks up eight Spurs Jackals superfans with tickets to Game 7 in Oklahoma City!
-
Oregon33 minutes agoCruise ship rescues stranded mariner off Oregon coast
-
Pennsylvania40 minutes agoMan accused of using excavator to destroy home with family inside
