No money, no papers, no job, no wife. This Dutch man’s US divorce quite literally uprooted his life.
Despite 15 years of living and working in the US, one divorce was all it took for the country to send the Almelo local back to Twente, reports AD.
A one-way ticket back to Twente
On Friday, the Dutch citizen living in California was deported by order of the US government.
Less than 24 hours later, the man found himself in a homeless shelter in Almelo at 1 AM, where he was given a bed in a “special heated room.”
The 40-year-old had set up his whole life in the US: He was married to an American woman and the director of a company, earning a good salary.
All that changed after his divorce was finalised last week. He was told to leave the country immediately.
According to Gert Mensink, spokesperson for aid organisation Sociaal Plein in Almelo, the Almelo local had no money and no papers.
“At the time of his deportation, his bank account was blocked. With only $75 in cash, he left for the Netherlands,” he tells AD.
Is this legal?
Unfortunately, yes. In fact, this is not an isolated case.
Under US immigration rules, foreigners who hold a Green Card through marriage can lose their right to stay once that marriage ends.
And in recent years, enforcement of this rule has become stricter.
Earlier, a former resident of Amersfoort was also forced to leave the US after living there for 40 years.
“What’s happening in America always felt far away,” Mensink tells AD. “Until Friday. Now it’s suddenly close… Trump is closer than you think.”
How is the man doing now?
Why the man couldn’t stay with friends or family remains unclear. Perhaps it’s because he had been living outside of the Netherlands for such a long period of time.
According to AD, the man is not available for a comment, but those around him say the shock is slowly wearing off.
The man is reported to now have his own room, after spending his first night among the homeless.
He’s also taking practical steps forward: opening a Dutch bank account and attending a job interview on Monday.
What seemed like an American immigration horror story is more real than we imagined. But, unfortunately, stories like this are becoming all too common under the rule of one orange man.
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I know this man it’s horrible he deserves compensation for the harassment his family fell apart he needs to be giving money for his distress just like someone who has been wrongfully accuse and put in jail for 30 years then they figure out that there inasent..