Louisville activist Armelle Bondonga taken into ICE custody

Louisville activist Armelle Bondonga taken into ICE custody

Armelle Bondonga, a Louisville resident born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who came to the United States as an asylum seeker, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Aug. 12 after appearing for an immigration interview, her attorney confirmed in a statement.

Bondonga, who attorney Arianit Osmani said has no criminal history, arrived to the U.S. lawfully with her family in 2013 and later met her U.S.-citizen husband, Terrance Bradshaw. The two have since begun raising their child, who is also a U.S. citizen.

"What is particularly significant is that [Bondonga] was not attempting to evade immigration authorities," Osmani said. "She voluntarily appeared with her husband for the scheduled [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] interview to pursue her marriage-based immigration case through the lawful process. She complied with the government's requirements, appeared for the interview as instructed and was taken into ICE custody following that appearance."

Bradshaw's Form I-130 petition, which is filed by citizens who wish to prove a family relationship with a foreign national seeking a green card, remains pending with immigration services, Osmani said. He added that her father's underlying asylum application, on which Bondonga was included, is still pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals in connection with a motion to reconsider the prior decision.

"Armelle now also has a viable potential path to lawful permanent residency through her marriage to a U.S. citizen," Osmani highlighted. "However, the existing removal proceedings and resulting removal order create procedural and jurisdictional obstacles that must be addressed before she can pursue adjustment of status through that marriage-based avenue."

Osmani represents Bondonga in her process toward marriage-based citizenship and is advocating for her in the face of her current detention, he clarified. Her father's proceeding is being managed by a separate immigration counsel.

"Armelle has substantial ties to this community and, most importantly, to her husband and young child," Osmani said. "Her continued detention and the possibility of removal have serious consequences not only for Armelle, but for her U.S.-citizen family."

According to previous Courier Journal reporting, Bondonga and her family lived in California, New York and Maine before eventually settling in Kentucky, where she was a student at Waggener High School.

While enrolled, she joined Future Ancestors, a group of students that formed in the wake of Breonna Taylor's death and hosts the annual Race4Justice to honor her and raise money for justice organizations. She later went on to earn her degree in business management from Jefferson Community and Technical College.

Bondonga previously told The Courier Journal her upbringing in a country with a history of conflict, poverty and lack of free speech made her more inclined to stand up for what she believes in.

"If I wasn't born to the parents I was born to, I could have been those kids that are in the mines ... not having an education, that could have easily been me," she said. "... Now that I am in America, and I'm able to host events with the Future Ancestors like the Race4Justice and go to community events and speak my voice, it's almost like I have no choice but to do that because ... if I lived in Congo still, I probably wouldn't be able to do that."

Since being taken into custody, several community members and city and state leaders – including Louisville Metro Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Shameka Parrish-Wright and former Louisville Urban League president Sadiqa Reynolds – have shared social media posts about Bondonga's situation.

Kentucky state Rep. Nima Kulkarni, a Louisville Democrat and immigration attorney, started a legal defense fund as part of her nonprofit, New Americans Initiative, to ensure immigrant families are able to get the affordable, quality assistance they need. After Bondonga's detention, friends of her family reached out to Kulkarni and she was able to connect them with a second attorney, Hishem Alsalman, and provide them with additional help.

"I think that we need to also let the broader community know – and our immigrant refugee communities know – that there are people in Louisville willing to help, there are people in Kentucky willing to help and that they're not alone," she told The Courier Journal.

Kulkarni emphasized the importance of reliable legal representation in immigration cases at a time when some are taking advantage of a "very vulnerable and scared population."

"Our immediate priority is to protect Armelle's legal rights, prevent her removal while those matters receive meaningful review and pursue every lawful avenue of relief available to her," Osmani said.

This story may update.

Investigative reporter Josh Wood contributed. Reach breaking news reporter Ruby Grisin at rgrisin@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville activist Armelle Bondonga taken into ICE custody