The
United States government has spoken out on the possibility of any civil
or criminal charges against Wole Soyinka, if he eventually destroys his
American green card.
Prof. Wole Soyinka
In an exclusive disclosure to Premium Times,
U.S. immigration experts revealed that the United States government
will not bring any civil or criminal charges against Nobel laureate,
Prof. Wole Soyinka, if he eventually destroys his American green card as
openly threatened in the media.
The publication reported further that the Immigration Lawyers said
that the legendary playwright will still be able to visit the United
States at any time he desires even after destroying his green card
before the public glare.
There have been reports that Nigerian professor, Wole Soyinka faces a jail term should he destroy his green card after stating a fortnight ago that he would destroy his green card if Donald Trump was elected president.
“The moment they announce his [Trump’s] victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up,” Soyinka
told a gathering at Oxford University in what appeared like a casual
observation about the tone of the American campaign at the time.
In separate interviews, Immigration attorneys, Isaac Falusi and
Samuel Adewusi, disclosed that the controversies surrounding the
decision of the professor are inconsequential in the U.S.
Speaking to a correspondent, Falusi, an expert in immigration and
international trade law, said Soyinka would have merely exercised his
free speech by destroying his green card.
“Destroying a green card is an expression of free speech which
no one will ever be penalised for in America. Being a resident in
America is a voluntary thing. The government gave him the green card
because he was qualified when he applied for it,” Falusi said.
The lawyer said the U.S. Homeland Security, which handles such
documents, may not even be aware of the controversy and even if it were,
it still won’t mean an action will be taken.
“If he has made a public show of destroying his card, that
doesn’t mean the Homeland Security is aware of it. But even if they
were, he will still be able to easily obtain another green card because
his name is still on the computer as a valid American resident,” Falusi said.
Meanwhile, Adewusi who is Chairman of the Board of Trustee of the
Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in the Americas, stated that “in order to destroy your green card you have to go to a consulate near you, especially if you’re outside the United States.”
“At the consulate, you must request for and fill a document
called Form I-407. It is a long process but only after you complete
before you could boldly say that you have destroyed your access to enter
America.”
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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