Traffic Stop Triggers Veteran Deportation Nightmare

A decades-old deportation order—possibly triggered by missed notices—just removed an honorably discharged U.S. Army veteran from Georgia after a simple traffic stop.

Story Snapshot

Godfrey Wade, a Jamaica-born U.S. Army veteran, was deported in February 2026 after nearly five months in ICE custody.
A minor September 2025 traffic stop in Conyers, Georgia, led to ICE enforcing a 2014 removal order tied to older low-level charges.
Court records referenced in reporting indicate hearing notices tied to the 2014 case were returned as undeliverable, raising due-process questions.
An emergency stay of removal was denied, but Wade’s appeal remains pending as he fights to return from Jamaica.

How a Routine Traffic Stop Turned Into a Deportation Case

Conyers, Georgia police stopped Godfrey Wade on September 13, 2025, for failing to use a turn signal and arrested him for driving without a license. Reporting says ICE then detained Wade based on a pre-existing 2014 removal order. Wade had lived in the United States since arriving lawfully as a teenager in 1975, later serving in the U.S. Army overseas and building a life in Georgia with six children and three grandchildren who are U.S. citizens.

ICE transferred Wade on September 21, 2025, to Stewart Detention Center, described in reporting as the nation’s largest ICE detention facility. His detention lasted close to five months. In February 2026, immigration authorities deported him to Jamaica after an emergency stay of removal was denied. Wade’s attorney has continued to pursue an appeal, meaning the legal fight over his status is not finished even though he has already been removed.

The 2014 Removal Order and the Notice Problem

The hinge point in Wade’s story is the 2014 order. ICE maintains Wade missed an immigration hearing, which set the removal order in place for years until it was activated after the traffic stop. However, reporting citing court records indicates the hearing notices were sent to an address used by ICE and then returned as undeliverable. Wade’s attorney says Wade did not know the order existed until his 2025 arrest, a claim that puts the spotlight on whether notice procedures worked as intended.

Wade’s underlying offenses, as described in reporting, include a 2006 simple assault charge that his attorney says involved no physical violence and a 2007 bounced-check incident that was later paid along with fines. The available sources do not provide the full court file or every detail behind the charges, so outside observers are left relying on what the records and attorneys state in reporting. Even so, the timeline shows how old, unresolved immigration actions can remain dormant for years and then return suddenly.

Family Separation, Public Pressure, and a Pending Appeal

Wade’s family and fiancée have described the deportation as devastating, emphasizing that his closest ties are in the United States. Reporting also describes claims of harsh detention conditions at an Atlanta-area ICE facility prior to his move to Stewart. Financial pressure surfaced publicly through a GoFundMe effort reported to have raised over $31,000 toward a $35,000 goal. Those details matter because deportation is not only a legal event—it can immediately become a family and financial crisis.

What This Case Signals About Enforcement and Due Process

In a second Trump term, immigration enforcement is again a central political fault line, and Wade’s case is being used by critics to argue the system is overly punitive—even toward veterans with deep roots. Rep. David Scott (D-GA) asked DHS to halt the deportation and later said his office was not notified until days after the removal occurred. Polling cited in reporting indicates 49% of Americans view the deportation campaign as too aggressive, underscoring public unease about how far enforcement should go.

Deported After 50 Years: U.S. Army Veteran Held 5 Months by ICE, Sent to Jamaicahttps://t.co/BSl1c5qCNw

— 19FortyFive (@19_forty_five) February 14, 2026

Conservatives who support secure borders and rule-of-law immigration still have a legitimate interest in one core question this story raises: whether the government reliably provides notice and a meaningful chance to be heard before life-altering action is taken. If notices truly went to an unusable address and came back undeliverable, that is not “being soft” on illegal immigration—it is insisting the process meets basic constitutional fairness. Wade remains in Jamaica while the appeal continues.