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LGBTQ Jamaican Asylum Seeker Detained by ICE Despite CAT Protection

May 1, 2026 · Willits, CA, Jamaica

Otis Nicholas Ffriend, a Jamaican LGBTQ asylum seeker who had been granted Convention Against Torture withholding in November 2024, was arrested at his home by ICE agents on May 1, 2026 without a warrant. Ffriend had been complying with supervision requirements and living with his U.S. citizen wife in California. The federal court granted a temporary restraining order requiring his immediate release and prohibiting re-detention without a hearing.

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