Fort Wayne mom fighting to keep adopted son with disabilities in the U.S.

A Fort Wayne mom is fighting to keep her adopted son with disabilities in the United States after a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said he will be deported to Haiti when he turns 18, according to WPTA.

Earlier this month, Rebekah Hubley said she received a letter saying her son Jonas Wendel Brice Hubley’s Petition for Alien Relative was denied. He’ll need to return to Haiti in January 2024.

Jonas has been in the United States with the Hubley family since 2008, when the family got him a medical visa for appointments related to his disabilities, including visual impairment.

After signing adoption paperwork in 2009, the family was set to finish the documents by March of 2010, but a 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed his adoption paperwork in the rubble of Port-au-Prince. They were able to officially adopt him in Allen County in late 2010 but continued struggling with official paperwork and technicalities in the United States and the disabilities Jonas faced.

In June 2023, the Hubley family received a request for more documents for immigration services, most of which were sent in September. The family could not get Jonas’s Haitian birth certificate because of the earthquake and Jonas does not have a social security number.

But the December letter claims not enough information was received. Now, if Jonas does not leave the country before January 2, he faces removal from the county by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the order reportedly can’t be appealed.

The Hubleys continue to contact government officials to keep Jonas in the country, and a GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for expenses related to his immigration journey, including paying for an immigration attorney.

According to the United States Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, Haiti has been under a “Do Not Travel” advisory since July 2023. WPTA reached out to learn about the advisory but hasn't heard back.

Several Indiana lawmakers are trying to help the family, including Rep. Jim Banks and Senator Todd Young.

You can read Jonas and the Hubleys’ full story here.