NFL star Neville Hewitt slams ICE as mom is detained after she flew to US for a deportation hearing

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Neville Hewitt, the Houston Texans linebacker, voiced his indignation at immigration authorities after his mother, Deon Jones, was detained in an ICE lockup after she arrived at an Atlanta airport for a deportation hearing.

This happened just as the NFL star, 30, was gearing up for an important playoff face-off with the Baltimore Ravens, as per Daily Mail. 

Neville Hewitt's mother faced deportation over a drug-related offense

Benjamin Osorio, an immigration attorney, is acting on behalf of Hewitt's mother, Jones, who reportedly migrated to the US from Jamaica at the age of 12.

However, after serving a nine-year sentence in a Georgia state prison for a drug-related offense, she was mandated to be deported in 2014, as reported by The Daily Beast. 

Neville Hewitt's mother was supposed to be under house arrest after landing in the US

Jones, was reportedly detained by ICE officials upon her return to the US for a deportation hearing, despite the family's expectation of her being under house arrest with an ankle monitor.

This occurred even after her attorney had successfully scheduled a hearing for her re-entry into the US.

Jones, who had been hoping to watch her son play in the NFL in person, was arrested immediately upon landing and placed in a detention center described as "worse than prison".

Osorio stated that an ICE officer had given him the impression that her temporary house arrest would proceed without issues, as per Daily Mail.

Neville Hewitt calls out the American immigration system

Jones, who had reportedly maintained a clean record prior to her conviction, was apprehensive that she might find herself incarcerated again if she departed from Jamaica.

However, the extensive discussions regarding her arrival appeared to provide her with some assurance. 

The turn of events highlights the stringent US immigration law, which mandates automatic detention for returning deportees with a drug conviction, even if they are appealing, as in Jones' case. 

"You don't have somebody get on a plane to go sit in jail," Hewitt said to Daily Beast, adding, "Nobody's going to go for that."

Jones was reportedly immediately escorted off the crowded plane in handcuffs upon landing. Since her arrest, she has been in a state of legal uncertainty at the Stewart Detention Center, one of America’s largest immigration facilities, located two hours away from Atlanta. 

"She didn't do anything to deserve this right now," asserted the NFL star, further noting, "I don't care where you from or who you are, it'll drive you crazy to know that you're locked up and you don't have an idea of why, and what's going on with you... you have no explanation. It's mind-blowing."

Hewitt later commented on the American immigration system, saying, "This is what's going on here in our country, and a lot of us, we are just not aware that this is actually taking place. It's been going on for years."