Latest news with #Contemplating

Black America Web

Jane Eugene of 80s R&B Group Loose Ends Detained by ICE for Overstaying U.S. Visa

Source: Raymond Boyd / Getty British R&B singer Jane Eugene, best known as the powerful voice behind Loose Ends' 1985 chart-topping hit Hangin' on a String (Contemplating) , is now facing deportation from the United States. According to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the 62-year-old artist, also known by her legal name Jane Peters, overstayed her visa by 26 years. Text 'RICKEY' to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. ( Terms and conditions ). LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE. The arrest took place on May 3, 2025, at the U.S.-Canada border crossing in Niagara Falls, New York. Eugene was attempting to enter Canada when she was denied entry and subsequently detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. Since then, she has been held while awaiting a formal hearing with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at DHS, confirmed that Eugene's prior attempts to obtain a U.S. green card were unsuccessful. 'Jane Eugene Sendall Peters was denied an immigrant petition for alien workers in 1999 and had already overstayed her visa at the time of application,' McLaughlin said. 'The law applies equally, even to celebrities.' Under current immigration law, overstaying a visa by more than a year is considered 'unlawful presence' and can result in a 10-year bar from reentering the United States once the individual departs. That's the potential situation Eugene faces now—removal from the U.S. and being barred from returning for a decade. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR APP AND TAKE US WITH YOU ANYWHERE! Though she originally rose to fame in the UK, Eugene has been based in Los Angeles for years, where she has led a U.S. version of Loose Ends and continued to perform across the country. Her contributions to the music industry remain significant; Hangin' on a String (Contemplating) made history in 1985 when it topped the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, making Loose Ends the first British band to achieve that feat. Loose Ends was originally formed in London in 1980 with Eugene, guitarist Carl McIntosh, and keyboardist Steve Nichol. Their sleek, soulful blend of funk and R&B earned them a strong following in both the UK and the United States throughout the 1980s. Related Article: ICE Agents Claim Assaults Are Reasons For Masks, But That's A Lie Related Article: What About White Undocumented Immigrants? Critics Claim ICE Raids Are Racist Now, decades after breaking boundaries on the music charts, Jane Eugene is at the center of a very different kind of story—one that underscores the far-reaching implications of immigration law in the U.S., even for those with fame and influence. As her legal case moves forward, Eugene's supporters are watching closely to see how the situation will unfold. Whether she'll be allowed to remain in the U.S., where she has lived and worked for so long, is still uncertain. HEAD BACK TO THE HOMEPAGE SEE ALSO Jane Eugene of 80s R&B Group Loose Ends Detained by ICE for Overstaying U.S. Visa was originally published on