Wisconsin Rapids father of two Buba Jabbi deported to West Africa

Melissa Siegler

Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

Bubba Jabbi with his daughters Nalia, 5, and Aisha, 1.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS - Wisconsin Rapids resident and father of two Buba Jabbi was deported to the West African country of The Gambia after more than 20 years in the United States, a federal agency confirmed.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin by email Wednesday that the 41-year-old Jabbi was deported Tuesday and, as of Wednesday afternoon, was back in The Gambia.

Katrina Jabbi of Wisconsin Rapids said last week her husband, the father of their two daughters, was being held at a detention center in Sierra Blanca, Texas. A stay of removal was filed on his behalf but was denied Feb. 27, according to Nicole Alberico, a public affairs officer with ICE.

Alberico declined last week to give further details about Buba Jabbi's case.

The statement from ICE issued Wednesday confirmed that Jabbi had entered the U.S. legally in 1995 but had overstayed his visa. He was detained Feb. 15 after checking in with federal authorities as he was directed, and was set for deportation based on a judge's order from 2010.

If it comes to it, Katrina Jabbi said she would move her family to The Gambia to be with her husband.

"We have spent many years trying to rectify this situation," Katrina previously told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. "I will continue to fight and file waivers if he is deported. I will not be apart from my husband nor allow my children to grow up without their father."

According to Katrina, Buba Jabbi's attorney can file a 601 waiver, which argues that the Jabbi family would suffer extreme hardship as a result of his deportation.

Katrina Jabbi is a Wisconsin Rapids native and married Buba in 2013, four years after meeting him. The couple has two daughters, Nalia, 5, and Aisha, 1. Katrina said she works part-time from home; her husband had been working as a truck driver.

The couple moved back to Wisconsin Rapids in 2016 to be closer to Katrina's family. They are expecting their third child in October.

Buba Jabbi has not been charged with a crime in Wisconsin and his detention was not the result of a criminal arrest.

He came to the United States in 1995 on a temporary travel visa to attend the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, according to Katrina. When he tried to change his status to allow him to stay in the U.S., the paperwork he filed was incorrect and he was moved into removal proceedings, where he remained for several years, she said.

However, Buba Jabbi was considered "undeportable" because his country would not provide travel documents on his behalf, she said. Instead, he was given orders of supervision, requiring him to report to immigration once a year and obtain work authorization, which, according to Katrina Jabbi, he has done for the last 10 years.

Buba was at his annual appointment Feb. 15 in Milwaukee with immigration officials when he was detained and told he would be deported, according to Katrina. The statement from ICE said his travel documents from The Gambia had been validated.

Buba Jabbi still has family in The Gambia, and Katrina said that despite being separated from him she is happy he will get to see his parents for the first time in more than two decades.