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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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A Missouri family is planning to relocate to the Netherlands after a father and green card holder of 40 years was ordered deported Tuesday over drug charges from his teenage years.
Owen Ramsingh, who immigrated from the Netherlands in 1986, had been held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since September 27, after he returned from a trip to Europe.
Officials have said he was eligible for deportation because of charges from decades ago, with a judge ruling Tuesday that a 1999 felony conviction could be classed as an aggravated felony, allowing a lifetime ban from the U.S.
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"From the moment Owen was taken into custody we fought with everything we had because we needed to know we did absolutely everything possible to bring him home," Diana Ramsingh, Owen's wife, told Newsweek via email Wednesday. "The truth is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had already made up their minds.
"If people could truly look at life through someone else’s eyes, really look, we might have a kinder world. Instead, the systems in place refuse to see our humanity. Anyone who knows Owen knows he is one of the best human beings to walk this earth."
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has taken a far tougher stance towards immigrants with previous charges or convictions than previous administrations, leading to green card and other long-term visa holders being detained by federal agents at airports and during interviews with immigration officers. Critics argue that many of these immigrants’ alleged or proven offenses occurred years ago and were often minor, making them not a threat to national security.
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What To Know
Ramsingh will be deported to the Netherlands after a hearing in front of an immigration judge in New Mexico on Tuesday. In a post on the Facebook page “Bring Owen Home”, his wife, Diana Ramsingh, said the order came with a lifetime ban from the U.S., which could be waived in eight to 10 years.
Federal agents had detained Ramsingh at a Chicago airport in September, as he returned from a trip to Europe. While initially held in Texas, a judge told the family he needed some extra paperwork and that once that was submitted, deportation proceedings would be suspended.
Before that could be finalized, Diana said, Ramsingh was sent to New Mexico and placed under a different judge with no knowledge of the case. It was under this court on Tuesday that the decision was made.
Earlier this year, the Dutchman’s green card, which he had held since he was a boy, was due to expire, and he had filed for another 10-year extension. In doing so, the current card was extended for 36 months, pending a formal decision by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Ramsingh had two prior drug-related incidents on his record—one that was cocaine related from 1997, and one related to marijuana from 2011. The former was when he was 16, and he was tried as an adult at age 17.
His family argued that the first offense was nearly 30 years ago. He would have needed to renew his green card at least one previous time under the 10-year cycle, and it was not clear why these items on his record were not an issue previously.
"Owen was 16 when he was charged and was tried as an adult even though he had been abandoned and was living on the streets with no support system," Diana told Newsweek, explaining he had spent the years following his release building a better life for himself.
"He is devastated that a mistake he made as a child is being used to remove him from everything he has built 26 years later. Had he been correctly tried as a minor, none of this would be affecting his immigration status today," Diana continued. "Instead a decision made about a teenager is now being used to justify tearing our family apart."
Now, Ramsingh will be sent to the Netherlands, where Diana said he will be with his father. She and their daughter will travel to see him briefly, before returning to the U.S. to “take care of loose ends” before making the move to Europe early next year.
"For me, it never felt like a choice. Owen and I are married, and we are a team. After three months apart during this ICE detention nightmare, he needs me and I need him. I always knew that if he was deported, I would go with him," Diana said.
"It is incredibly hard because our life is in Columbia, Missouri. Our family, our community, our work, our daughter’s school, everything we built is here. Starting over in a country where we do not speak the language is overwhelming. Quitting my job and pulling our daughter out of school is something I never imagined. Owen also has two older children who will remain in the United States which makes this even more painful."
DHS has insisted in similar cases that holding a green card is “a privilege, not a right” and that officials have the right to revoke permanent residency from those who have been charged or convicted of a crime, however minor. There have been instances of those with traffic tickets or fined for other reasons being detained by ICE since January.
What People Are Saying
Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement to Newsweek Thursday: “On September 27, CBP arrested Owen Romann Ramsingh, a criminal illegal alien from the Netherlands. His criminal history includes convictions for cocaine possession and marijuana possession. On December 8, an immigration judge ordered his removal. This criminal illegal alien is in ICE custody pending appeal. A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused.”
What’s Next
Diana told Newsweek that the family did not know when Owen would be deported, but that the Dutch embassy was working to expedite the process for his well-being.
Update 12/11/25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Tricia McLaughlin.
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