Missing Teen
Accidentally Deported
to Colombia, Now Stuck
Wednesday Jan 4, 2012 – by Britni Danielle
When Jakadrien Turner went missing in November 2010, her grandmother, Lorene Turner, stopped at nothing to find her.
Distraught about grandfather’s death and parent’s divorce the teen ran away from her Dallas home. Jakadrien ended up in Houston and when she was arrested for theft, she gave a fake name. Unfortunately, the name belonged to a 22-year-old ilegal immigrant, and immigration officials stepped in. Despite fingerprinting the teen, ICE officials failed to confirm her identity and deported her to Colombia despite Jakadrien having no ties to the country and not speaking spanish.
When she got to Colombia, the teen was given a work card and found a job as a domestic. Her grandmother, who never gave up hope, found her on Facebook and tracked her down to Colombia, where Jakadrien said she was forced to work long hours under harsh conditions.
“She talked about how they had her working in this big house cleaning all day, and how tired she was,” Mrs. Turner said.
Video | News | Weather | Sports
Tue Jan 03 15:56:17 PST 2012
Dallas teen missing since 2010 was mistakenly deported
Lorene Turner said with the help of Dallas police, she found her granddaughter in an unexpected place: Colombia. There are still many unanswered questions about how an African-American girl who speaks no Spanish was mistaken for a foreign national. view full article
Now Jakadrien is apparently pregnant and stuck in a Colombian detention center unable to get home, despite pleas from her family and requests from the US Embassy asking Colombian police to turn her over.
American immigration officials claim they are investigating the incident and how Jakadrien ended up being deported in the first place. They also claim they are working on her return, but Jakadrien was supposed to be returned to her family a month ago. In spite of the delays, her grandmother hasn’t given up hope.
Mrs. Turner told WFAA in Dallas, ”I feel like she will come home. I just need help and prayer.”
Want to help? Contact the US Embassy in Colombia to pressure them to bring Jakadrien home.