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Michigan doctor detained by ICE after 40 years in US with no clear reason why

Barton Deiters/WOOD
Published: January 22, 2018, 6:45 pm

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Even as the issue of immigration has been central to the government shutdown in Washington, a respected doctor at Kalamazoo’s Bronson Methodist Hospital who has been living in America for nearly 40 years finds himself in jail after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took him from his home in handcuffs.

Lukasz Niec is an internal medicine doctor putting in long hours as a hospitalist for Bronson. His co-workers describe him as the model of what a physician should be.

And now, he is sitting in a jail cell in Calhoun County with no idea of when — or if — he will be free to return to his patients and his family.

“In 1979, my parents were both doctors left Poland and took two suitcases and two small children, my brother was five and I was six and they came here for a better life for their kids,” said Iwona Niec-Villaire Saturday as she sat next to her sister-in-law.

Now the siblings are in their mid-40s. She is an attorney, he is a doctor — they have been in America for four decades on a permanent green card.

“He doesn’t even speak Polish,” Niec-Villaire said.

On Tuesday, as Niec, a legal U.S. resident, was enjoying a day off with his girls at his lake home in an exclusive neighborhood near Kalamazoo, three ICE officers came to his home, told him he was being taken into custody and took him to jail.

“The question I get asked all the time is ‘Why do you think this happened?’ I just really don’t know,” said Niec-Villaire.

ICE will not comment on the case and has held no hearings. A bond hearing may not come until February, and it is unlikely it will be granted, according to immigration law experts.

“Until this gets heard, which could be up to six months, he could be stuck in a prison cell and not helping and being with his family,” said Niec-Villaire.

The only spot on Niec’s record is two misdemeanor convictions when he was 17, one for destruction of property less than $100 and receiving and concealing stolen goods.

He pleaded to these charges more than 25 years ago under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act that allows young first offenders to avoid a criminal record if they never offend again.

But ICE — a federal agency — does not honor that state plea agreement, something Niec did not know when he took the plea, according to family.

“These misdemeanors were just an adolescent making mistakes and learning from them,” Niec-Villaire said.

She said she and her brother are as American as anyone can be.

“He cannot go back to Poland, a country he doesn’t know, he has no family at. Both our parents passed away in the United States, he doesn’t know anyone, he wouldn’t know where to go,” Niec-Villaire said.

Now, Niec awaits his fate in jail.

“We did go see him on Wednesday. He was shaking, in an orange T-shirt. (He was) just kind of shell-shocked,” Niec-Villaire said

His wife says their two daughters need their dad.

“He’s an excellent physician, he’s loving, he’s caring, he’s an honorable husband and he’s always helping others,” said the doctor’s wife of two years, Rachelle Burkart-Niec.

Bronson Healthcare issued the following statement Monday:

While Bronson Healthcare, like others, respects the laws and regulations concerning United States immigration, we are following the situation surrounding the detention of Dr. Lukasz Niec closely and are doing everything we can to advocate for Dr. Niec. We have been in contact with our elected representatives and we have our immigration counsel coordinating with Dr. Niec’s attorney to explore all options to secure his prompt release from detention.

There are two misdemeanor convictions from 26 years ago that have been cited by ICE to support Dr. Niec’s detention. We believe that Dr. Niec’s recent history as a contributing member of our community is far more indicative of the type of person he is than the incidents that occurred when he was a teenager.

Since 2007, Dr. Niec has been a skilled and caring physician, a valued employee and respected member of the Bronson medical staff. His detention in a county jail while awaiting deportation proceedings simply does not make sense. Given all that he has contributed in the form of exemplary patient care, and Bronson’s ongoing need for Dr. Niec’s continued service as a hospitalist, we are requesting the community’s best interest be considered and he be allowed to return to work and his family as soon as possible.

Dozens of doctors and other employees have also sent letters of support for Niec.

“He’s been, just completely the model physician that you want a physician to be,” said Dr. Hussein Akl, also a doctor in Bronson Internal Medicine. “The only danger I can see him on is when he’s swinging his golf swing.”

Others who worked with Niec say they are dumbfounded and outraged.

“He’s exactly the kind of person our immigration policies should be encouraging to prosper here, he’s been here for 40 years, this is a ridiculous situation,” said Dr. Michael Raphelson, who specializes in palliative medicine.

More than 25 people gathered at the home Saturday including friends and family.

“He’s just a good guy, I mean, he just is,” said Brent Richmond, a friend of Niec for 25 years, who was fighting back tears.

Marc Asch, an immigration attorney in Kalamazoo, said in the last year, ICE has broadened its scope, meaning that cases the agency would not have gone after previously are now fair game.

“These days, there’s less discretion being exercised in who they go after. They’re being more aggressive, generally-speaking,” Asch said.

Asch said the government may not even have a solid case and it could likely end with Niec being able to stay in America — but that could be a process that takes months or even years.

It is also possible that ICE is targeting affluent immigrants of European descent to avoid the appearance of racial profiling. But those who love Niec are not interested in becoming examples.

“He’s the person I call, whenever anything goes wrong or right and now I can’t do that and it’s breaking me up,” said Niec-Villaire. “This is a man that is needed in the community, not detained in Calhoun County Jail.”

http://kxan.com/2018/01/22/michigan-doct...ear-reason-why/

I wonder which criminal category this guy falls into; Rapist, Murderer, Childhood Misdemeanor Offender... We need to deport scum like this! smh

The left wing media - "trump only deports brown people"

Trump admin deports white Europeans

The left wing media - "that's only to avoid appearances"

smh

Dudes so far gone he don’t even know being here ILLEGALLY is a CRIME!!!

...

DACA Explained

a mothers house is broken into by a man who had his 10 year old daughter with him. No physical harm was meant to be done, they were just looking to take goods, cash, and food.

The burglar alarm sounded, and the police arrived and apprehended the two. However the bad news, was that the neighbors voted that the girl was innocent and only there because of her father who brought her. Now the owners must give her a room, feed her, and pay for her schooling. Worse yet, since she would be abandoned if her dad goes to jail, he will be found innocent and they owners will have to let him stay with the girl and feed and cloth him as well. If you think this sounds unfair and ludicrous, then you understand DACA.

Lets look at the facts...he has some misdemeanor crimes in his past. He has a DUI in his past..he has charges of domestic abuse in his past...he has been in said country for 40 years on a green card and chose not to get citizenship....his problems are his own making..sorry charlie

Get him out of our Country and his job can then go to a real American.

I know a few Canadians here in the USA in the same boat. They're next right?

I just re read the article, will you please post your sources for the DUI and domestic abuse charges? Those charges weren't mentioned in the original article.

According to the lefties on here it makes us RACIST .... cause u know, there TRUE AMERICANS .... ..

If there hear illegally ... BYE BYE ....

If u don’t like it ... PLEASE GO WITH THEM .... PLEASE .... and take the rest of the TRUE AMERICANS with U .......

Yes, everyone but Trump supporters should leave... it would be like somebody dropped a dumb bomb on the whole US.

I here you.

Here I thought DACA stood for:

Don't
Ask
Can't
Arrest

From trump's favorite paper....the washingtonpost

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morn...m=.cb7875756855

remember my post said "charges"

Wow, the blind hatred from the far right is just hard to even fathom....

how is he here illegally? and can we trade you and keep him?

This example is ludicrous!

Ludicrous??? Really??? Everyone of these DACA kids by definition have parents that brought them here illegally. DACA rules are basically ignoring the fact that these identified kids have at least one if not two illegal guardians here. You know damn good and well DACA kid d protection will be extended to family members that “don’t qualify”.

The explanation was pretty spot on

He has a green card that he obtained legally so why is ICE even bothering with him? I don't see anything that explains why he would be arrested in the first place.

I'm quite sure your attitude runs counter to the Social Justice Gospel of Christ.

Doesn't the right want a more theocratic outlook on our country?

I'm not aware that the Gospel of Christ endorses breaking laws in general. So much for that argument.

As to the topic of the thread, I would love to hear what ICE has against this guy - because on the surface, it seems like nothing. Edited to add: It seems like ICE has no grounds for deporting/detaining the guy.

Your guess is as good as mine Razor.

Link

Don't punish kids for what their parents have done. This parallels to the story of those in the DACA program.

Is it truely a punishment to send someone back to THEIR country? It's not like they are being executed like they would in some places. They broke the law to get come here. They continued to break the law every single day they stayed here. They didn't care that they were breaking the law because they had no respect for our laws to begin with. Eventually after many years of breaking US law they stop caring and start to feel entitled. They lied and deceived their neighbors and local government for so long, receiving benefits of a government they are not paying taxes into, that now they say it's cruel to make them stop lying so instead of enforcing the law we must turn their lies and lack of respect for the law into reality. A greater reward for being lying, cheating, lawbreakers I've never seen before.

Yet we can't send our own kids to college, keep our own people fed, and god forbid they need to go to the doctor. Let's instead send billions to take care of illegals and criminals because they are after far more important.

It was explained that all of his past transgression, though wiped from his criminal background still apply to his green card status. Just cause they were over looked in the past doesn’t mean you have to continue loaiming the other way. It was also stated that he had planned on gettIng citizenship but just kept putting it off. Sounds like his getting citizenship (which would have prevented all of this) was not that important to him.

Edit....sensationalistic articles are good at drumming up support by giving you surface details

He’s here ILLEGALLY .... according to our LAWS .... thats reason enough to be DEPORTED .... we need NO OTHER REASON to send his back where he belongs!

Poland right?...Same place Hitler sent most of his illegal Jews who were living in Germany. How fitting.

I am atheist.

So? That doesn't mean your moral compass should go to crap. Typical BS.

it matters because I could care less about what the Gospel of Christ says. I live by the constitution of the US, which says we have immigration laws.

You're off the chart, I don't see you here. No moral compass for you.

jc

Those of you in this thread who would like to see a permament legal resident of the United States get deported should be ashamed of yourselves. The xenophobia has to stop.

Not really.

We were talking about illegal's in this country. Jesus was talking about the kingdom of heaven. Now, if you want to correlate our leaders to Jesus, and the u.s. to heaven, I guess it would parallel to that verse.

Regardless, this isn't a religious debate.

But these ideas of "get rid of DACAS!" come from individuals who purport themselves to be the moral majority as guided by Christianity. These individuals need to know what they follow.

Christians believe in following the Law.
We follow Jesus and He said, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesars."

Why do you constantly cry to disobey our Laws and believe that Illegal doesn't mean just that, illegal?

So, I am Xenophobic when the best man at my wedding and godfather to my child is a Mexican immigrant. . . . . maybe the stereotypes should stop first. Following the law is not Xenophobic

You do know what "jc" means right? Hint, it's not always about you.

I never said you were xenophobic, though it is perhaps curious you assumed you were being called one. I also think it's hilarious that your defense is "I can't be a xenophobe, one of my best friends is from another country."

My general remark was to those in this thread who think we should deport people for crimes that do not pass the measure of moral turpitude. My remark was also directed at those who relish the idea of deporting green card holders so we can "give their jobs to real Americans."

There are two advantages I can think of for not becoming a US citizen if you hold a green card:

- No jury duty
- No need to revoke citizenship if your origin country does not allow dual citizenship

So a five year old kid broke the law when they were brought here by their parents? Are you kidding me? Do you really believe this?

Many of the DACA kids grew up in this country, went to college and got good jobs. They now pay taxes and contribute to our society. They don't need your help or mine to get by. They are doing pretty good in taking care of themselves.

Many have become doctors like the man this thread is about. Now you and the Republicans want to throw them out?

It says in this very thread that he is a LEGAL U.S. RESIDENT.