Owen Ramsingh, a Dutchman who was brought to the United States at just five years old, has been deported back to the Netherlands with nothing but his phone and the clothes on his back.
According to De Telegraaf, Ramsingh was detained by ICE for a criminal conviction in his teenage years.
Ramsingh and his family do not speak Dutch, but are determined to make a new start after months of desperation.
What happened?
Back in September 2025, Ramsingh was told by a judge that he could not return to America, under a ten-year ban.
This came as quite a shock: after all, Ramsingh, who considers himself completely Americanised, had a green card (residence permit).
However, a previous conviction from his youth was used as justification. Ramsingh had been involved in drug dealing at the age of 16, but was arrested and paid for his crimes with a 25-month prison sentence.
Not only did he serve his time, but this conviction occurred in the late 1990s — a quarter of a century ago.
Despite all this and countless testimonials from members of his community in Missouri, he was told his time in the country he had once considered home was done.
The horrors of ICE
After being detained by ICE, Ramsingh was entirely at the mercy of the new American immigration regime.
As De Telegraaf reports, his experience in ICE’s hands involved sleeping on concrete floors, sharing space with 70 other detainees at a time, and horrific treatment from guards and staff.
He even detailed how guards made bets on where in the facility the next detainee to commit suicide would choose.
Ramsingh was not told if he would see his family again.
He was instead shipped from facility to facility in terrible conditions, forced to wait and see what would happen next.
Worst of all, Ramsingh, who lost his daughter Destinee last year, will be unable to visit her grave again, as she is buried in the United States.
A new start
In the face of all this, Ramsingh and his family are now determined to make a new start in the Netherlands.
READ MORE | Dutchman deported from US after divorce, despite living there for 15 years
After being emotionally reunited with his other daughter, Kimya, and wife, Diana, who had followed him to the Netherlands, they are being sheltered by Ramsingh’s estranged father, who lives here.
Their outlook is positive, but one cannot help but remember all that is being left behind: a home that Ramsingh worked hard to afford, friends and family, and a lifetime of memories.
What do you think of Ramsingh’s story? Let us know in the comments!
Thank you for this article! Good to read that Ramsingh is safe in the Netherlands. I hope he can build a new life there for himself and his family. The US under Trump has completely lost its moral and ethical bearings. The citizens will fight back I hope.
One of the green card stipulations is that if you are involved in a criminal act you are deported – sad as it is😢 As a green card holder I was afraid to even get a parking ticket
There is a significant difference in ‘are’ and ‘was once’ (25 years ago, as a minor).
I am so lucky to live in a country where, having served your sentence means that you are FREE.
Horrible! Blessings in starting over
Being Dutch, having been living in the usa since 1998 , green card resident, I can attest to the horror stories,we are hearing here. It’s absolutely crazy what this administration ( of cruelty) is doing to everyone here. The biggest criminals are ruling this country and they are behaving like Nazis, sending the Gestapo into our cities. No one is safe, but many Americans only care about a small group of people because they have managed to put so much fear in these people. Most of the American people are not very well educated and are very prone to conspiracies. To send people far from where they were raised because they once committed a crime they did their time forms absurd. Especially when the president pardons the biggest criminals. This has everything to do with ethnic cleansing. Project 2025 is what is going on and they managed to brainwash the herd into a constant state of fear and hate
Well said!
I’m 51 years married to a Dutchman with a green card. It has to be renewed next year. He can’t understand why I’m worried about what’s going to happen. He’s never had a conviction for anything but I don’t see that mattering any more.
Start the process of renewal now! I heard that the waiting times are very long. Better to be in the process than having the green card run out next year.
I am so sorry for the shit the US put this man through. As an American I am ashamed of my government.
If you’re accepted as a 5-year-old and receive a green card, you assume everything is fine later in life. Committing a crime at 16 is shameful; you’re punished for it, you endure it, and then you’re released and resume your life. It’s over, you improve your life, but 50 years later you’re arrested and deported. That’s not normal. Therefore, his fascist practices are reprehensible. I hope for him and his family that he can return at some point if he so chooses, and if not, I wish him all the best.
BS story. Sleep on concrete? On a cot with a mattress. You libtard all suffer of TDS.