Family blames deportation for death of Black New Jersey man who struggled with mental illness
TheGrio...
Kwesi Menezes died after overdosing on his schizophrenia medication months after ICE deported him to Guyana, according to his family.
The family of a 35-year-old New Jersey man who died months after being deported to Guyana says his mental illness was overlooked during his immigration case.
Kwesi Menezes died Aug. 30 after overdosing on his schizophrenia medication in Guyana, according to his family. His relatives believe he would still be alive and receiving the care he needed if he had not been deported in April.
“Sunday morning we received the news that he was found unresponsive. He was with our family back home. He was deported by ICE,” his sister, Shane Menezes Banjo, told NBC10 Philadelphia.
Menezes’ family says he had struggled with mental illness for years, moving between mental health facilities and jail. He served time in Burlington County Jail after assaulting a police officer during what relatives described as a mental health episode. He was later jailed again for violating probation.
The family was informed in November that Menezes had been transferred into ICE detention. In December, the Department of Homeland Security included him on its “Worst of the Worst Criminal Aliens Arrested” list.
His mother, Sharon Menezes, said that characterization failed to account for what her son was experiencing.
“His mental health, he’s struggling to even to comprehend what’s going on,” she said. “How inhumane and then label him a criminal and you don’t know him.”
Banjo similarly objected to how her brother was portrayed.
“They painted a picture like he was just somebody, this criminal that just did all these terrible things, but he was struggling with mental illness,” she said.
The family says Menezes was a green card holder and believes the assault charges were used to initiate deportation proceedings.
Immigration attorney Renata Castro said criminal histories have increasingly become a focus of immigration enforcement.
“When we’re looking at immigration today, the rule is: Show me the crime and I’ll find you the man,” Castro said, describing the approach as “draconian” and “overreaching.”
Menezes’ death comes amid a broader increase in immigration enforcement. DHS reported nearly 51,000 ICE arrests in August, according to NBC10’s reporting.
Now, as the family grieves, relatives are working to bring Menezes’ remains back to the United States.
“He struggled enough,” his mother said. “I want him to rest with dignity.”
The family is also sharing his story in hopes that mental health will receive greater consideration in future deportation cases.