The family of Rabbiatu Kuyateh demands her return after ICE deportation and viral video of her being dragged.
BOWIE, Md. — The family of a Prince George’s County woman shown being dragged while in immigration custody is speaking out, saying they fear she may not return to the United States after being deported earlier this month.
Rabbiatu Kuyateh, 58, was taken into custody during an annual check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Maryland in July. Her son, Mohamed Alghali, says he hadn’t seen his mother since the day she was detained — until a disturbing video surfaced of her being dragged by officers during transport.
“I was sad at first and I immediately got angry because I haven’t seen my mom since July 1,” Alghali said. “Then the next time I see her she’s getting dragged.”
Kuyateh was deported first to Ghana and then to Sierra Leone, where she says she did not feel safe. In an interview, she said she has since fled to a neighboring country.
“I’m still in pain, I’m still sore,” she said. “My left ankle is still sore, my lower back… I was not safe for the past days. I was shaking. I was hiding.”
Kuyateh originally left Sierra Leone during the country’s civil war and had lived in the U.S. for more than three decades. She worked as a nurse and held a valid work permit but never received citizenship. Her son, born in the U.S., says his grandparents became naturalized citizens after moving to Maryland.
Alghali says his mother entered the U.S. legally on a visa, but a past abusive marriage created obstacles in securing her green card.
“She came here on a visa. My dad, her former husband, filed for her, but he was very abusive to her physically and emotionally, and he always held the green card issue over her head,” he said.
After she was detained in July, Kuyateh was transported to a facility in Monroe, Louisiana, where she remained for nearly five months. During a September hearing, she was granted withholding of removal — a protection that, her son says, should have prevented deportation to Sierra Leone.
“Meaning she couldn’t be deported to Sierra Leone,” Alghali said. “So we believed, okay, she has a chance to come home now.”
He says the family sought her release on parole but never received a response from ICE. In early November, Kuyateh was told she would instead be sent to Ghana. Six days later, the viral video capturing her being dragged surfaced.
Kuyateh says she was shackled by her hands, feet and waist during transport.
Now, her family is demanding answers from federal officials and urging ICE to reassess her case.
“Bring her home,” Alghali said. “This is her home. This is where she’s been for over 35 years.”
ICE did not respond to requests for comment.