The boy who helps an opposing player up off the basketball court may now lose his father.

Before games he dances to the warm-up music and the whole gym lights up. Our children attend school together, and I know the family raising him: humble, gracious, generous.

On October 7, 2026, ICE detained his father, Paul Essel, in Springfield, Missouri. He is in the Greene County Jail, and his children are home without him.

Who Paul is

Paul came to this country legally from Ghana as a student 23 years ago. He earned two graduate degrees at Missouri State University and has worked there since 2010. The university calls him a valued, long-standing member of its community and an employee in good standing.

He is married to an extraordinary woman, is raising his children here, and shows up for his church, his school, and his neighbors.

How this happened

Paul has spent 17 years trying to become a citizen through the legal process, with lawyers at every step.

2003: Arrives legally from Ghana on a student visa.
2008: Marries his first wife, a U.S. citizen.
2009: Becomes a conditional permanent resident and applies for citizenship.
2012: His citizenship application is denied.
2013: He and his first wife divorce.
2015: The government argues (two years post divorce) his first marriage was not genuine, pointing to the fact that the couple lived in different states while he was in college. Paul contests it at a hearing. The judge sides with the government. 
October 2016: He loses his appeal. A 90-day clock starts for asking to reopen his case.
November 2016: He marries his wife, a U.S. citizen.
December 2016: She files a petition for him. The clock is still running.
January 2017: The 90 days run out. The government has not yet answered her petition.
June 2018: The government approves her petition, 17 months after the deadline passed.
2019 and 2021: His lawyers ask to reopen his case. Both requests are denied.
December 2023: A federal court declines to consider two of his arguments (one being he is now a father of three children) on the technicality his lawyer had not raised them earlier.
The government took 18 months to say yes to his wife's petition, and gave him 90 days to use an answer he didn't have yet. They have now been married nearly ten years, and that approval has never been weighed.

In all that time, Paul Essel has been a devoted husband, father, hardworking man, and man of faith who has spent 23 years building his life in the United States. This is his home, where he has worked, raised his family, served his community, and helped others pursue a better future.

For several years, Paul has worked tirelessly at Missouri State University, contributing to the university, Church, and the community. Beyond his work, has spent years giving his time and energy to help others. Today, Paul and his family need our help.

What we ask

We’re not writing about immigration policy. We’re writing about a family we know, and about what decent people do when a neighbor is in trouble.

The law allows immigration officials to make exceptions in cases like this. We ask them to make one here:

ICE: pause Paul's deportation and let him go home to his family, under supervision, while his attorneys work on his case.

Our members of Congress: ask ICE about his case and support pausing his deportation.

Missouri State University: stand publicly by its employee of sixteen years.

A man who has spent two decades working, giving, and raising kind children is not a threat to this community. He is part of it.

A child who instinctively helps others up should see his community do the same for his family.

Should you like to donate to help with the Essel’s legal fees, please, go to: https://gofund.me/79a7a237e