PHILLY MAN FACES WEDNESDAY DEPORTATION AFTER 20 YEARS IN THE U.S.

Black people make up 7.2% of all noncitizens, but comprise 20.3% of those facing deportation on criminal grounds, according to research by RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services in Texas, and by the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and the American Friends Service Committee. They can face lengthier detentions, and higher denial rates when seeking asylum, the groups’ data shows. M’Bagoyi came to the United States about 22 years ago, at age 21, after his ethnic background put him at risk in West Africa. He did not reveal his homeland in interviews. He legally entered the United States on a tourist visa, but then stayed after it expired, he said. His request for asylum was denied. The family had recently moved from Bucks County, believing that Philadelphia, a sanctuary city with an active immigrant-support network, would be a safer place for them to live. M’Bagoyi’s spouse, a marketing and advertising consultant, is a U.S. citizen, as are their children. “We’re hoping at the rally that Philly is going to show up,” Nunez said. “We’re not going to give up.”

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer.