Foota Hype locked up in USA – Selector to appear before immigration judge on Monday

Controversial dancehall selector Oneil ‘Foota Hype’ Thomas is now in the custody of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is scheduled for a hearing with an immigration judge on Monday, December 23.

Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, told THE STARthat “We can confirm that Mr Thomas was detained on Saturday, December 14, on arriving at Port Everglades Seaport aboard the Independence of the Seas, from Falmouth, Jamaica. Mr Thomas was detained for further review of his travel documents and admissibility status.”

Marks revealed that Foota Hype will have legal representation when he faces the court two days before Christmas. However, she added that the Consulate in Miami is also in communication with the detention centre and will be visiting with him today.

“We will give further updates tomorrow (today) and after the hearing,” Marks said.

The ICE website shows that Oneil Ricardo Thomas, a Jamaican, is in their custody at the Krome Processing Centre in Florida

Reports surfaced on Monday that the selector, known for his ability to sight aliens, was carted off by real officers from ICE, soon after disembarking from the Welcome to Jamrock cruise ship in Florida. Fans have since expressed concern for the social-media-loving music personality, whose four-day silence on Instagram triggered several unanswered questions from followers.

SURPRISE TO MANY

A fan identifying herself as @_his_scorpianqueen75, queried, “Everything good with you cuz yuh nevah quiet suh?” Lovelylika stated, “Free foota,” and nonstop_2020 expressed the hope that “Foota get bail” while iamcoffeetea urged him to “keep the faith.”

Foota Hype, who has earned a reputation as the ‘King of Mixup’ inserts himself in many controversial issues, has enjoyed life in the US, and his detention has come as a surprise to many.

The ICE website notes that there are many reasons why someone can be detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its enforcement arm, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These include, but are not limited to the person having arrived at the border without a visa prior to formally applying for asylum or refugee status; an outstanding removal (deportation) order on record, either pending or past due, or missed prior immigration hearing dates or committed a crime, or multiple crimes.

In November this year, when the fun-filled #RihannaIsJamaican hashtag went viral, Jamaican Twitter wittily composed a list of personalities who would be given to Barbados, as they were “no longer needed”. Foota Hype was humorously named among those stripped of their Jamaican citizenship.