Connecticut man asks Trump to halt imminent deportation to Jamaica

Hugh Williams, right, with his wife, Carolene, a U.S. citizen.

By most accounts, Hugh Williams' life represents the American Dream -- a Jamaican immigrant who came to Connecticut nearly 20 years ago, working as a supervisor at the Home Depot to provide for his wife and three sons, one of whom is in the U.S. military.

But Williams is set to be deported Thursday to his native Jamaica over a 2002 felony marijuana conviction his lawyer said was the result of shoddy legal advice given by an attorney who is now disbarred.

Williams' last hope, he said, is a pardon from President Trump.

"It's broken my life apart," Williams, 37, said of the deportation order, which was issued in 2012 but not enforced until President Donald Trump unveiled new immigration policies that have consequently brought old deportation orders to new life.

"He's the boss -- I know he can help me," Williams said of Trump, who -- in a twist of irony -- was his pick for president during the 2016 campaign.

Williams, 37, left, with his three children and wife. (Williams Family)

Williams was arrested in 2002 for felony possession of marijuana -- his first and only arrest in his life, his lawyer, Ryan McGuigan, told Fox News.

Based on advice from his attorney at the time, Williams pled guilty to felony possession of marijuana and served three years of probation without incident. The attorney, Joseph Dimyan -- who was later disbarred for stealing money from his own clients -- also advised the father of three to use a pseudonym while he was in court, according to Williams.

"Had Mr. Williams been charged with the same offense today, he could have used a drug program or pled to an infraction," McGuigan said.

On a return trip from Jamaica in 2012 -- 10 years after the marijuana arrest -- Williams was held up in U.S. Customs at John F. Kennedy International Airport after a fingerprint scanner revealed he had previously been convicted of a drug charge using a false name.

Williams was soon issued a deportation order, though it was not enforced. Under the Obama administration, many immigration lawyers said their clients often were told they faced no immediate risk of being deported and could temporarily remain, so long as they committed no crimes.

Shortly after Trump took office, however, Williams was told his time here is up.

"It was the new enforcement from the Trump administration that became the issue," McGuigan said. "This is what happens when you cast a wide net. Obviously there are dangerous felons who need to be deported -- people who came here illegally with the intent of committing crimes in our country. And then there are many people, like Mr. Williams."

In early June, Williams was informed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he will be deported to Jamaica on Thursday, July 27.

An ICE spokesman, meanwhile, was not immediately available when contacted Thursday. The agency told the Associated Press last month that it is tracking nearly 970,000 immigrants with deportation orders. The majority — 82 percent — have no criminal record, according to the AP.

Williams, who lives in Waterbury, Conn., with his wife, a U.S. citizen, said the imminent deportation order is "tearing his family apart."

"Our family has suffered an emotional breakdown," echoed his wife, Carolene.

Williams -- a longtime supervisor at a nearby Home Depot -- has three teenage children. His 19-year-old son is currently training with the U.S. military.

"Mr. Williams has led his life in an exemplary fashion ever since his first and only arrest," said McGuigan. "Because of the bad advice of Mr. Dimyan, Mr. Williams is to be deported this Thursday."

But McGuigan said he's certain Trump could intervene in the final hour.

"The president of the United States can stop the execution of any deportation," McGuigan said. "I'm confident if he [Trump] got word of this, he would have some compassion."

"This would be a wonderful opportunity for the administration to show good judgment," he said. "Anybody with a heart would feel for this man."