U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials released Tope Awe, a UW-Madison pharmacy school student, from custody in Milwaukee Tuesday, pending deportation.
According to ICE spokesperson Gail Montenegro, Awe and her brother Oluwabenga received orders for deportation. Both are required to wear ankle monitoring bracelets and check in periodically with immigration officials while documents for their return to Nigeria are assembled.
Awe was placed in federal custody March 27 after being summoned to the Milwaukee immigration office.
According to Montenegro, Awe's family emigrated from Nigeria in 1989 and repeatedly applied for immigration benefits but their requests were repeatedly denied. ICE gave the family until July 31, 2004 to leave the county.
The Awe family failed to make any contact with ICE after July 2004 as required, and they remained in the United States illegally,"" Montenegro said. ""In failing to comply with the conditions set by ICE, the Awe family became immigration fugitives with outstanding orders of deportation.""
UW-Madison students rallied against immigrant deportation Monday, and members of several student organizations are circulating a petition on Awe's behalf.
