A new book shares the experiences of those deported, after decades of living in Ohio

Ibrahima Keita said Ohio felt like home from the start. He first came to the U.S. in 1990, fleeing from persecution in Mali.

In the three decades following, Keita built a life he’s proud of in Cincinnati: he met his wife, had two kids. With his job as a mail courier at a local hospital, they were able to get comfortable. They owned a house, took weekly trips to the mall and even bought a Cadillac.

“Everything just opened up for me,” Keita said.

At the time, Keita was applying for asylum. He missed one of his court hearings, waiting for his attorney to arrive. He said he wasn’t aware that he could go into the courtroom without representation. As a result, in 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Keita at his home.

He was detained for a year then deported to Mali.

“I lost everything,” he said. “I’m in American dream, want to buy [a] house for my kids, for a better life. Now, it’s a worse life. Now, my kids [are] suffering.”