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A man born to a U.S. soldier on an Army base in Germany before coming to the states as a child has been deported to Jamaica, a country he's never been to, according to reports.
Jermaine Thomas was born in 1986 to a Jamaican native who became a U.S. citizen during his 18-year military career. During his early childhood, Thomas moved from base to base with his father and mother, who was a citizen of Kenya at the time of his birth.
Thomas moved to Florida with his father at 11 years old following his Army retirement and divorce from his mother. Shortly after Thomas' move, his father died in 2010 from kidney failure.
Following his father's death, Thomas spent much of his life in Texas, where he was homeless and found himself in and out of jail, according to the Austin Chronicle.
It's unclear when Thomas was first ordered to leave the country. Court records from 2015 show his case was heard by the Supreme Court, where justices ruled in favor of the Department of Justice's argument that Thomas wasn't a U.S. citizen, although he was born on an American Army base in Germany.
Without a U.S., German, or Jamaican citizenship, Thomas was stateless, but continued to reside in Killeen, Texas.
His recent deportation to Jamaica began with an eviction from his apartment. While moving his belongings, Thomas was arrested by police on suspicion of trespassing.
Thomas requested to stay in jail while awaiting his trial. He later signed a release agreement, after which he was transferred and detained at an Immigration and Customs detention camp.
According to the Chronicle, Thomas said he's now residing in Kingston, where he's living in a hotel, but he's unsure if the U.S. or Jamaican government is paying for it. Thomas added that it's unclear if he's allowed to get a job or if it's even legal for him to be in the country at all.
“If you’re in the U.S. Army, and the Army deploys you somewhere, and you’ve got to have your child over there, and your child makes a mistake after you pass away, and you put your life on the line for this country, are you going to be okay with them just kicking your child out of the country?” Thomas said.
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