Columbia man detained by ICE scheduled for first court hearing

“With all that’s transpired in the past few days, he’s not holding up well. Frankly, it’s a tough place. The conditions are horrible. The food, the water aren’t drinkable or edible. It’s violent all the time. You never know what’s going to happen next minute. And there is no medical help. There’s no medication being given out. It’s a bad place for any human being.” — Robert Olson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Columbia man detained by ICE in September after returning from a trip to Europe is scheduled for his first court hearing.
Owen Ramsingh — who has had a green card since the 1980s according to his family — has a court date set for Nov. 6 after being detained at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport after he returned from visiting family in the Netherlands. He has since been moved to a holding facility in El Paso, Texas.
Ramsingh’s family says he was not eligible to ask for a bond hearing because he was labeled as an “arriving alien” when the Department of Homeland Security filed his paperwork.
“He pretty much has the same rights as someone with no papers at all,” Owen’s wife, Diana, told ABC 17 News.
The family has been working with attorneys, but says they don’t know what to expect from his next court appearance. Ramsingh was originally given a court date of Oct. 15, but the family claims attorneys later told them that date was a “gingerbread date.”
“Day-by-day. it’s something different,” Diana Ramsingh said. “So it’s getting your hopes up, and then getting crushed over and over again.”
Ramsingh’s best friend, Robert Olson — who went on the trip to Europe with Ramsingh before he was detained — said they have been speaking to him each week, but the harsh living inside the El Paso facility has been taking its toll.
“The emotional roller coaster that we’ve all been going through has been intense. (We) kind of all need off this ride,” Olson said. “With all that’s transpired in the past few days, he’s not holding up well. Frankly, it’s a tough place. The conditions are horrible. The food, the water aren’t drinkable or edible. It’s violent all the time. You never know what’s going to happen next minute. And there is no medical help. There’s no medication being given out. It’s a bad place for any human being.”
Ramsingh has lived in the U.S. since moving here as a child and was initially issued a green card as a child of a U.S. Citizen in 1986, which has since been renewed. According to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, he was detained because of past convictions for possession of marijuana and cocaine.
Court records obtained by ABC 17 News show Ramsingh was charged with drug possession in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1998 when he was 17. He pleaded guilty the next year to attempting to commit a felony. The following year, records show he was cited for having fewer than an ounce of marijuana in Nebraska and fined $100.
On Wednesday, his family and friends gathered at the Columbia Elks Lodge to start setting up Halloween decorations for one of two fundraisers aimed at helping cover Ramsingh’s legal fees. The first will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday at Columbia’s Rose Music Hall, where Ramsingh served as the head of security.
“We’re having a concert benefit for Owen, open to the public,” Olson said. “There’s going to be four bands, a DJ, fire dancers, food trucks. It should be a great day, and the weather looks good for it.”
Another ‘Bring Owen Home’ event will take place at the CBO Event Center on Elk Park Drive on Oct. 31. The Halloween-themed celebration will include trick-or-treating for all ages from 4:30-6:30 p.m., followed by an 18-and-up event inside the Elks Lodge. Admission is free, with donations accepted at the door.