Days after Ghanaian-Canadian social commentator and Christian school teacher Samuel Sey (@SlowToWrite) was arrested at the Columbus International Airport and detained on an ICE hold under threat of deportations, the DHS has released a statement, alleging he’s overstayed his welcome by four years and has no pending application to stay.
Following his initial arrest, multiple folks on X said Samuel Sey’s ICE hold did not arise from a deliberate violation of the law, but from a paperwork/clerical issue they were seeking to resolve.
A GiveSendGo set up by Joel Berry in support of Sey was shared on X with the note that “Samuel is from Canada, and has been living here as a legal resident of the United States. We are confident this clerical mistake will be fixed, but this has been a terrible experience for his family.”
Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey likewise added this was a paperwork issue working to be resolved:
Aaron Baer, Sey’s co-host on The Narrative, shared that “Sam is safe and we expect him to be back with his family in Ohio soon, and this paperwork issue will get worked out.”
He later added that despite his incarceration, Sey continues to hold the views of ICE he’s publicly espoused and written about.
Ie:
Yesterday evening, however, Megan Basham shared a statement from the DHS regarding Sey, who say in part:
Sey entered the United States legally in 2022 but overstayed his length of admission by over four years, in violation of our nation’s laws. Sey has no pending applications and accepted voluntary departure. He will remain in ICE custody until removed from the United States.
Following a release of the statement, an update was added to the fundraiser:
As of this morning, it is still unclear where things stand, with some saying the DHS statement and statements from those in contact with him aren’t necessarily incongruous, depending on the nature of the paperwork error, and that both could be true. Others have flat-out accused DHS of lying, as is their MO, about whether Sey agreed to be deported, given that we have not yet heard directly from his side.
Joel Berry shared that “there are two sides to this. Please wait before forming a conclusion” and that Sey and his lawyer will be releasing a statement in the next few days.
Commenting on the matter, Protestia publisher David Morrill (@coconservative7) shared:
“God, I thank You that I am not like other men—liars, lawbreakers, deceivers, or even this publisher who raised money for that sinner’s family.”
The discussion surrounding Samuel Sey’s detention and impending deportation has been some of the most disgusting I have ever seen around here, and that’s saying something.
Protestia initially reported what sources told us (and, obviously, what we hoped was true): that Sey’s detention stemmed from an immigration paperwork problem rather than his error. When DHS contradicted that account, we updated our reporting. Ordinarily, no big deal. Outlets update info all the time. And whether or not Sey was at fault, and no matter his legal status, his family is clearly in serious financial need.
Yet what do we see? Supposed Christians demanding apologies/retractions for our directing potential donations to Sey’s family because the claim that he was here legally is being contradicted. Some people are suggesting that his family is profiting from this somehow, or that Protestia was “fundraising for a lawbreaker.” Since when did Christian charity become conditional upon innocence, ideological agreement, or personal approval? What Bible are you reading?
Christ commands us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27–36). Paul commands us to feed them when they’re hungry (Romans 12:20). James condemns those who withhold material assistance from needy brothers (James 2:15–17). Proverbs 24:17 forbids rejoicing when an enemy falls.
Yet we seem to have no end of online professing Christians (including pastors!) seemingly delighted by Sey’s predicament and demanding financial assistance for his family be shut off.
And here’s the particularly grotesque irony: Many of these men acknowledge that their black, Ghanaian-born theological opponent is their brother in Christ, while carrying on as if Scripture has nothing to say about this. But the household of God isn’t segregated by ancestry, no matter how much some seem to want it to be. And Galatians 6:10 commands us to do good to all, especially those of the household of faith.
Sey’s wife and children didn’t violate immigration law. And even if Sey knowingly broke the law, that doesn’t disqualify him from Christian charity. If the fundraiser contains inaccurate information, correct it. Donors deserve the truth. But don’t pretend that wrongdoing (even deliberate, which has not yet been demonstrated) eliminates a family’s needs.
Jesus condemned the Pharisees for neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23). Yet some of you are so eager to “gotcha” Sey for apparently breaking the law that you’ve forgotten the law of Christ, or that you can uphold immigration law without abandoning Christian charity.
Protestia will always err on the side of Christian charity. We have a history of financially supporting people who don’t like us (and have openly lied about us) when they truly need it. In this case, I’d argue that if your support for the Sey family’s obvious financial need turns on whether the immigration problems were his fault, you should probably keep your money. God doesn’t want it.
