He has a work permit, a coffee shop
Business owner Assim Alkhawaja was arrested by ICE as he dropped off Lyft passengers at a military base. Now he’s stuck in a terrifying fight to stay in the US
TL;DR
- Assim Alkhawaja, an immigrant from Saudi Arabia with a work permit and a coffee business, was arrested by ICE agents at Camp Pendleton.
- He spent eight days in an ICE detention center and was placed in removal proceedings, despite having a pending asylum case and no criminal convictions.
- Alkhawaja describes the detention center experience as dehumanizing, comparing detainees to 'cattle, animals'.
- He faces weekly immigration check-ins, wears a GPS tracker, and feels his life has been reset with the constant threat of deportation.
- ICE agents have highlighted a two-decade-old arrest for disorderly conduct, which Alkhawaja disputes and states did not result in a conviction, to justify their actions.
- Despite the challenges, Alkhawaja continues to run his coffee business and finds support from the local community.