Queer California man faces risk of deportation to Fiji after living in the US for 44 years

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://news.yahoo.com/queer-california-man-faces-deportation-
193658973.html

A 50-year-old Californian is facing deportation to his birth country,
Fiji, where he is at risk of violence and abuse for being a queer person.

Salesh “Sal” Prasad arrived in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in
1978 and grew up in Modesto, California. Prasad had a troubled childhood,
having suffered severe physical and sexual abuse as a young child. One
beating even led to him losing his hearing.

Struggling with drug use and post-traumatic stress disorder in his teens,
Prasad got involved with gangs. At age 22, he was convicted of second-
degree murder after killing a person during an altercation. For his crime,
he received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

After serving 27 years of his prison sentence, the state determined that
Prasad was not a public safety risk and granted him parole. Officers
purportedly recognized his rehabilitative work, which included leading
support groups.

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“I had worked so hard, and I was so proud to tell my mom that I was
finally coming home,” he recalled.

However, on the day of his release on August 19, 2021, he was handed over
to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He is now detained in ICE’s
Golden State annex in Central Valley, California.


ICE has maintained that while Prasad came to the U.S. as a child, he falls
under President Joe Biden's Immigration Enforcement Priorities for
deportation due to his past criminal conviction. Despite active support
from advocates, his requests to fight his case outside of detention have
so far all been denied.

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Even when his mother died of COVID-19 in September, ICE declined to
temporarily grant him freedom so he could attend her funeral.

Lawyers representing Prasad have argued that he should be set free since
state authorities have considered him safe for release. Lawyer Maddie Boyd
said Biden's priorities have not resulted in compassionate policies,
particularly for cases like Prasad’s.

The lawyers further argued that the Convention Against Torture should
protect him from deportation as there is evidence of police violence and
attacks on LGBTQ-plus people in Fiji.

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Prasad’s gang tattoos from his youth also pose safety risks in Fiji as
they could make him a target of local authorities. His lawyers also cited
the fact that he is Indo-Fijian (Fijian people of Indian descent), an
ethnic minority that has historically been discriminated against in the
country.

So far, such pleas have been rejected by the government, leaving him with
limited options aside from appeals.

“If I’m deported, I won’t survive. I won’t make it in Fiji. There’s no
protection there for me. There’s no support,” he was quoted as saying in a
call from the detention center. “I’d be forced to be somebody I’m not. I
don’t want to hide again. I should be able to love who I want to love.”

Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity Human Integrity has set up an
online campaign on Change.org, urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to
prevent Prasad’s deportation via a Governor’s pardon.

Comments:

Garry
1 day ago

Any non citizen Convicted of any felony should be sent beck to their home
country. Doesn’t matter how long they been here, years in prison should
not count as residency

Reply

154

13

3 replies


MichaelR
1 day ago

Extremely bad choices tend to have extremely bad consequences. Deporting
him is how it works every other place. Well at least the ones that
wouldn't have executed him. Go to prison for a heinous crime and get
kicked the heck out when/if released. His sexual preferences shouldn't
even enter into the decision. In this case, I would say that if it is
considered, then that isn't a case of equal rights but a case of
preferential treatment.

Reply

48

5


Dirk Diggler
1 day ago

44 years he could have pursued legal residency and didn't? Too bad, so
sad.

Reply

61

2

4 replies


C
1 day ago

He's had 27 more years of life than his victim.
If he gets sent back to Fiji, all he has to do is not be overt with his
sexuality. It could be worse for him. Should have received the death
sentence 27 years ago.


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