MP brands Belfast hairdresser's month-long detainment by US immigration officers ‘extremely concerning'
Alliance Party MP Sorcha Eastwood, who raised a Point of Order in Westminster on Wednesday, said that the life he built 'has all come to an end' under 'the most awful circumstances'.
Speaker of the House Judith Cummins said she has not been made aware of any requests for a statement at this time.
Ms Eastwood told the Belfast Telegraph that her team has urged the Foreign Office to support Lee, who deserves 'dignity' and 'fairness'.
'It's impossible to comprehend the deep distress this situation has caused — not just to Lee himself, but also to his parents, his partner, his family and friends,' she said.
'We have heard some extremely concerning reports about Lee's welfare and treatment whilst he has been detained by ICE, and my team and I are raising these concerns directly with the Foreign Secretary.
'At the heart of this is a very simple truth: human rights are non-negotiable. International law applies everywhere and to everyone, and there can be no exceptions to that.
'We must never lose sight of the person at the centre of this. Lee deserves dignity, fairness and to know we are all behind him.'
The former British Hairdresser of the Year was making his morning commute to work at a hair salon at the time of his arrest.
Lee was taken almost four hours from Key West to a crowded detention centre in Miami, where he has remained.
Lee's father said that his son was on track to obtain a Green Card and had held the necessary papers.
The 46-year-old is currently being held in Krome Detention Centre, which made headlines last month after detainees were seen signalling 'SOS', prompting concerns over conditions.
Lee moved to Florida over six years ago after marrying his US-born partner DeVaun Davis.
DeVaun told the Keys Weekly of the poor conditions his partner has experienced at the detention centre.
'No beds. One wooden bench. People slept on the floor. Lee is a vegan and didn't get any vegan food until he'd gone without eating for four days,' Davis said.
'It wasn't until Congressman Carlos Gimenez announced he was planning to visit Krome the next day that Lee finally got moved into a pod with a cot and fewer people and finally got a change of clothes and vegan food.'
DeVaun confirmed that Lee had overstayed his visa seven years ago but that it was never flagged as he reapplied for residency and that 'things were proceeding'.
A GoFundMe page set up by Lee's mum, Elaine, has seen almost £3k raised due to the 'astronomical amount' of costs, which she 'struggles' to meet, required to support her son.
Fears bonfire could cut power supply to Belfast hospital
The hairdresser is just one of at least 56,000 ICE detainees that have been jailed so far as authorities work tirelessly to fulfil President Trump's vow to deport millions.
Notable figures detained include a New York mayoral candidate, Brand Lander, as well as renowned TikTok personality Khaby Lame, with officers averaging seven arrests a day.
Trump's administration has additionally passed a 'megabill' to the tune of $170bn for border and immigration enforcement to be spent in the next three and a half years.
The crackdown has sparked a spate of protests across the US, seeing crowds clashing with law enforcement, and military being called to the streets to assume order.
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