According to a report by the New York City news media “The City” on Monday, September 22, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained a lawful permanent resident living in New York City.
The individual detained is Duwayne Baugh, a 49-year-old resident of New York. He immigrated from Jamaica at the age of 14 and has been residing in New York ever since, holding a lawful permanent resident status.
He was arrested on August 13 at the immigration office in the Bronx, New York.
His lawyer informed “News Weekly” that he holds a lawful permanent resident status.
His wife, Kaiisha, who is a U.S. citizen, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2021. In a statement to “News Weekly,” she wrote, “My husband has been a lawful permanent resident for many years, reporting regularly, and this should not result in such torment and separation… hoping the judge can see the cruelty and injustice here, and allow him to come home.”
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson denied that this individual had a green card, insisting he is an “illegal immigrant” with a history of multiple serious crimes.
The DHS spokesperson told “News Weekly”: “Duwayne Baugh is an illegal alien from Jamaica with a long criminal record, including arrests in 1997 for illegal possession of firearms and drugs; in 1998 for illegal entry; in 2007 for again illegally possessing firearms and ammunition feeding devices; in 2020 for illegal possession of firearms, gun possession near school zones, and illegal possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices; in 2022 he was convicted of weapons smuggling. ICE arrested this habitual offender on August 13, 2025, and he will be detained until the deportation process is complete.”
An ICE spokesperson also stated, “A green card is a privilege, not a right. According to our laws, the government has the authority to revoke the green card of a lawful permanent resident who violates or abuses the law. Lawful permanent residents holding green cards with prior criminal records upon entry to the U.S. may face mandatory detention or be required to provide additional documents for immigration hearings.”
Under the U.S. Immigration Law, green cards may be revoked for reasons such as immigration fraud, criminal activities, and abandonment of U.S. residency rights. Criminal activities, as well as certain severe criminal convictions, lead to green card invalidation and possible deportation.
According to “The City,” the current detention stems from two firearms charges. The first incident occurred in 2007, where he claimed to be taking a friend’s firearm to a gun buyback event on Stanton Island but had a malfunction leading to him being shot in the groin at the Manhattan Stanton Island Ferry Terminal. He pleaded guilty to a second-degree illegal possession of a weapon charge and served time.
The second event took place in 2020 when his son was stabbed to death. He stated to the media that his family was threatened by the suspected perpetrator of his son’s murder, so he acquired a firearm. On December 1, 2020, he was found with the firearm during a police check outside a pizza shop. He attempted to conceal the firearm inside the shop but was arrested after the officers discovered it. He was later charged with a felony for illegal firearm possession and served eight months. He was originally set for deportation, but ICE released him at the time to care for his wife.
Kaiisha Baugh told “The City,” “He does face these charges, but he is not a violent person. Although I know he may be deported, I try not to dwell on it.”
ICE records show that Baugh is currently detained at the Orange County Jail in Goshen, New York.