Raleigh father threatened with deportation as daughter battles medical condition

On June 1, he was taken into federal custody and is now being threatened with deportation.

Historically, there is a triage process - immigrants who pose a public threat or break the law are the primary targets of the federal deportation process, but Hamadeesa's lawyer, Allison Chan, believes the policy is changing and her client is one of the casualties.

Chan says her client pays taxes, has gone through proper legal channels and has never been in trouble.

"He is someone the American public should support," she said. "I can see it. Everyday I'm getting phone calls, every day. People are scared of this shift."

Friends of Hamadeesa, who is a Palestinian, says he was running for his life when he left the West Bank of Israel.

"A great guy, a family guy, a provider," said Mohamed Alminifi, a friend of Hamadeesa. "He paid his taxes. He's extremely clean. He doesn't even have a traffic ticket."

Hamadeesa is now a manager at an auto-repair shop in Apex.

"He's a master mechanic, he's not a regular mechanic," said Mohammad Ali, Hamadeesa's boss.

But Hamadeesa’s most important role is as a husband, father of four and caretaker for his 9-year-old daughter, Nadine, who has a rare medical condition.

"She's extremely attached to her father," Alminifi said.

Hamadeesa applied for political asylum, but he was denied. He continued checking in with immigration officials and trying to get his case re-opened. Last week, ICE arrested him.

"Absolute shock. An absolute earthquake is what it was. It is unbelievable," Alminifi said. "Now, if they ship him back to that place, most likely within a week or two, he may be killed."

"I remember Trump saying we are going to catch all the criminals and send them back home," Alminifi said. "This is not. This is a hardworking guy."

WRAL News reached out to ICE for comment. They said in part, "Mr. Hamadeesa has received all appropriate legal process before the federal immigration courts and is subject to removal from the United States in accordance with federal law and judicial order. ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. However, as Secretary Kelly has made clear, ICE will no longer exempt entire classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All those in violation of immigration law may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.”

The orthopaedic oncologist who is treating Hamadeesa's daughter wrote a letter to ICE saying the child will not receive the proper care if she leaves the country. The letter also supports Hamadeesa's good character.