“All I know is these American cities. All I know is Washington, DC.”  

Samuel Anthony, who moved from Sierra Leone to the U.S. at age 6, became one of nearly 360,000 immigrants deported in 2019 under the Trump administration due to a decades-old drug conviction. Now 52, he faces the prospect of mass deportations under the president-elect’s vow to target individuals with criminal records, often long-time residents like Anthony.

Sarah Gilman, co-founder of the Rapid Defense Network, partnered with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights to fight the deportation of Anthony, an undocumented immigrant with a pending U visa application. Speaking with Mother Jones,  Gilman emphasized how individuals with criminal convictions, even if rehabilitated, face disproportionate punishment. She criticized the broader narrative under Trump’s policies, where even those with potential for rehabilitation were labeled as “bad immigrants.”

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