We respectfully ask U.S. immigration authorities and policymakers to grant humanitarian relief, prosecutorial discretion, or other lawful remedies to allow Jerome Rabess to return to the United States and reunite with his family.

Jerome is a husband, a best friend, a father, a provider, and a protector.

Ten days before Christmas, our family attended what we believed was a routine immigration interview. Instead, Jerome was unexpectedly detained. Two days before Christmas, he was deported—suddenly and devastatingly—ripped away from his family. An appointment we believed was simply another step forward became the moment our family was torn apart.

Jerome entered the United States legally as a child and lived here legally for over 30 years. This is the only home he has ever known. He is a patriot who proudly respects and represents the American flag and the values it stands for.

His deportation is based on a remote criminal history from more than 20 years ago, long before we met and long before we were married. Since that time, Jerome has had no criminal-related arrests, has fully rehabilitated himself, and has lived in full compliance with the law.

Importantly, after those past mistakes, U.S. immigration authorities renewed and reissued his lawful permanent residency, allowing him to continue living, working, and building a life in the United States legally. Because of this, we reasonably believed his past was resolved.

We married in 2012, and Jerome legally adopted my daughter, Alexis. He stood by me through college and professional training, supporting me every step of the way. I would not be the person I am today without his love, guidance, and unwavering support.

Jerome is a University of Florida graduate (2013), a successful business professional, a homeowner, and a taxpayer. He has built his life around responsibility, service, and family. He is deeply involved in his community, serving as a volunteer at Beauclaire Ranch Club on the HOA Architectural Committee and as an active volunteer with the American Red Cross, participating in the Disaster Action Team and Service to the Armed Forces. This is a man who shows up when others need help.

Jerome is deeply loved and supported by his neighbors, colleagues, friends, and community organizations who know his character and stand behind him.

The impact of his deportation has been devastating. I am a U.S. citizen. Our four children are U.S. citizens. Our youngest child has special needs and relies on his father daily for emotional, developmental, and practical support. Our children are heartbroken.

Jerome’s parents—both U.S. citizens—and his sister, a U.S. citizen and U.S. Army veteran who served 12 years including a tour in Iraq, rely heavily on him and are devastated by his removal.

Now, our family faces the unimaginable reality of potentially having to leave our home, our country, our children’s schools, their friends, and their support systems—the only stability they have ever known.

This is what a broken immigration system looks like.

We want to be clear: we respect the law, the officers who enforce it, and the importance of protecting Americans and our borders. This petition is not an attack on any administration. It is a call for fairness, discretion, and humanity in a system that fails families who have demonstrated rehabilitation and contributed positively to society for decades.

There must be room for relief when someone has taken accountability, rebuilt their life, and done everything right for years—especially when U.S. citizen children are the ones paying the price.

The United States claims to value family unity, rehabilitation, and second chances. Yet families like ours are torn apart with little regard for the innocent children left behind.

We are not statistics.

We are not headlines.

We are a real family living this every day.

We respectfully urge immigration authorities to review Jerome’s case with compassion, discretion, and humanity—and allow him to come home.

The barrier preventing relief in Jerome's case is the decades-old, controlled substance possession offense (simple possession), which under current immigration law severely limits available waiver options—even where there has been full rehabilitation and extraordinary family hardship.

We respectfully ask U.S. immigration authorities to exercise humanitarian discretion and all available lawful relief in Jerome’s case, including but not limited to:

-Consideration of waiver of inadmissibility for his controlled substance violation (simple possession of hydrocodone),  or any other relief for which Jerome may be eligible.

-Prosecutorial discretion, deferred action, or humanitarian parole to permit Jerome’s lawful return to the United States.

-Full consideration of extreme hardship to his U.S. citizen spouse, children, and parents, including a U.S. citizen child with special needs who depends on his daily care and support

-Reconsideration of Jerome’s removal order, or other procedural mechanisms that allow review in light of rehabilitation, time elapsed, and extraordinary family hardship

-Recognition of rehabilitation and positive equities, including more than two decades without criminal conduct, long-term lawful residence, family unity, community service, and the absence of any threat to public safety

We thank you in advance, 

Dr.  Shayna Rabess