Mpange & Oslin

Country of Origin: Guyana

Currently LIving In: Brooklyn NY

Mpange has not seen his mother Oslin since October 27, 2000. On that day he pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and received a one to three year sentence. It was his first conviction. Oslin walked out of the courtroom assuming that this awful moment in her family's life would end upon completion of Mpange's sentence.
She was wrong. In January 2001 the INS placed her son in removal proceedings. They charged that he is an 'aggravated felon' ' a broad immigration category that carries the cost of mandatory deportation for life. Mpange could not even request to stay in the US. He was ordered deported in May 2001. Yet Mpange remained in jail for another 21 months. The Guyanese government was slow to accept deportees with criminal convictions from the U.S. because, they argued, these individuals learned law-breaking behavior from Americans. The crimes they have committed are a U.S. social ill, not to be exported. Oslin struggled to get her son released. She got a letter of support from her state senator, and trekked to Hillary Clinton's office in the Capitol.
Oslin and her four sons came to the U.S. from Guyana as legal permanent residents (LPRs) in December 1994. Mpange was a teenager. For years he repaired computers and televisions, and did other temp work to contribute to the household income. With his help Oslin bought a house for the family. Now Mpange's brothers and mom must struggle to pay for their most basic living expenses. Oslin cares for her two younger children during the days and works nights as a nurse's aid.