A Pakistani national, Asif Amin Cheema, who lived in the United States for five decades, was deported after immigration authorities enforced a decades-old deportation order. Cheema recently appeared in an interview for the Green Card. His deportation has triggered concerns in the Pakistani-American community.
Therefore, Pakistani-Americans have renewed calls for a humanitarian review of the case.
Authorities deported Asif Amin Cheema, a Chicago resident, to Pakistan on January 1, shortly after his appearance at a green card interview raised hopes for permanent residency.
Family Questions Sudden Enforcement of Old Order
Speaking to Geo News, Cheema’s daughter Rabia Amin said her father arrived in the United States in the late 1980s with his cousins and later built a life in Chicago. He married in 1995 and became a father to five children. Rabia revealed that authorities had issued a deportation order in 1993; however, her father continued to travel between Pakistan and the United States until 1997 without facing restrictions at airports.
She explained that Cheema attended a green card interview in April 2025 and believed he qualified for permanent residency because he had no criminal record and maintained a positive reputation in the community. He owned a restaurant in Chicago’s Humboldt Park area and held a valid work permit, which further strengthened the family’s belief that his case would receive favorable consideration.
Arrest, Health Concerns, and Legal Appeals
In September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Cheema while he was heading to work. Authorities scheduled his deportation for November; however, he suffered severe chest pain just before boarding a flight and doctors transferred him to a hospital for treatment. Cheema later alleged that officials denied him medication during detention, while US authorities rejected the claim.
The family filed legal appeals to halt the deportation, yet the immigration judge ruled against them. Consequently, authorities proceeded with his removal to Pakistan. His daughters questioned why officials suddenly enforced a decades-old order and said they were unaware it remained active despite legal efforts to regularize his status.
Rabia said her father now stays with relatives in Pakistan after a recent hospital visit and expressed concern over his health and the family’s uncertain future.
Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, pointed out that 300 Pakistani nationals have been deported so far amid a crackdown.
