On Monday, Aug. 24, Amson Charleston became aware that one of his brake lights was out.
At lunchtime, he left work – he’s an IT specialist at Lincoln Charter School in York, where he also coaches the soccer team – to take his car to his mechanic, figuring he’d drop it off and walk back to the school.
The mechanic didn’t have time to fix it right away, and he told Charleston to bring it back Tuesday. On the drive back to the school, a West York Police officer pulled him over.
The officer told him he was pulling him over for the burned-out brake light and took his license. The officer handed the license to another officer, Charleston’s fiancé said. The officer checked his license and returned to the car, telling Charleston that he didn’t have legal immigration status. West York Police have what’s called a 287(g) agreement with ICE that allows police to detain immigrants on behalf of the federal agency.
Charleston’s pastor, Roussel Costume, said, “Next thing he knew, he was being handcuffed.”
That night, Charleston was in the Moshannon Valley Processing Facility, a privately run prison in Clearfield County where the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains immigrants.
Charleston, 26, came to America from Haiti about six years ago and earned a scholarship to Central Penn College, where he was a star soccer player. He does not have a criminal record. He has a valid work permit and a pending asylum case, his pastor and his fiancé said. In addition to coaching the soccer team at Lincoln Charter, he coaches two other youth soccer teams and at York Country Day School. He acts as a translator for the York City School District. He organizes youth activities at his church, the First Christian Haitian Assembly in Enola.
“This is a great guy, and they have him locked up like a criminal,” his pastor said. “It’s insane.”
‘A trusted mentor’
Charleston is among the thousands of Haitian immigrants being rounded up by ICE now that the U.S. Supreme Court has approved the Trump administration’s termination of temporary protective status for people who fled that Caribbean island nation.
His detention has become a cause at his church and for the community. Mothers of the kids he coaches have started a Change.org petition seeking his release. Parents have also contacted U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick and York County-based U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, asking them to intervene and seek an expedited review of Charleston’s case.
The text of the petition reads, in part, “Amson represents the kind of community member Pennsylvanians value: someone who shows up, works hard, and invests in the next generation. His service in education and youth sports strengthens families, builds discipline and responsibility in young people, and contributes to the stability of our local community.”
The petition reads, “Removing a trusted mentor and school employee disrupts classrooms, youth programs, and the families who depend on him. This situation raises important questions about consistency, fairness, and whether enforcement actions are aligned with stated priorities.”
It asks that Charleston be released from custody immediately.
“This request is about fairness, accountability, and ensuring that enforcement decisions reflect both the law and the best interests of the community,” the petition concludes.
‘It’s insane’
Charleston first came to the United States from Gonaives, a port city in northern Haiti known as the country’s city of independence, site of Haitian revolution leader Jean-Jacquee Dessaline’s declaration of independence from the French. He came on a medical visa in 2015, his fiancé Lonika Versailles said. He suffered from a heart condition, and a group of missionaries in the country helped him secure a visa to seek treatment in the U.S.
He returned to the United States on March 27, 2020, under temporary protective status and sought asylum. The temporary protective status was first granted to Haitian immigrants in 2011, a year after a catastrophic earthquake struck the country, killing as many as 300,000 people and destroying more than 300,000 homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and government buildings. The status had been renewed in subsequent years as disasters, both natural and man-made, struck the country, leaving it without a functioning government. The country has not had a president since the assassination of its last leader in 2021. The U.S. State Department has warned Americans not to travel to Haiti because it is too dangerous, much of its capital under the control of armed groups. As of July 27, the status was terminated and ICE began escalating its actions against Haitians and deporting them back to Haiti.
The termination of temporary protective status for Haitian refugees has spread fear throughout the Haitian community. Costume said his church would routinely get 300 parishioners at a Sunday service. Now, only about 75 show up, the rest staying home fearful that they might be taken into ICE custody while attending church. The pastor said he has received phone calls from women in abusive relationships who won’t call the police, fearing that they would wind up being taken into ICE custody. “They believe the police are more interested in their immigration status than helping them out,” he said.
“It’s a tragedy,” Costume said. “It’s insane.”
Charleston may now face deportation to a country that his fellow Haitians believe is unsafe. His family fears he will be returned to Haiti.
“It is not safe, especially for someone who’s been in this country for six years,” Costume said. “It’s like a death sentence to send Amson back there.”
Charleston, his pastor said, “is doing everything in his power to contribute to the community. We just want him to have a fair chance, to not be locked up like a criminal.”
‘What’s going to happen’
Charleston met his fiancé Versailles at church.
She liked his spirit and his generosity. He is a family man, she said, always doing everything he can to help his parents and his 14-year-old brother. He and his brother were inseparable, Charleston being his brother’s hero. “Family is everything to him,” Versailles said. “Whenever they call, whenever they need help, he goes. I always say, ‘Why don’t you ever say no?’ He just loves to help people. He loves what he’s doing.”
That Monday afternoon, Versailles was planning a surprise birthday party for her fiancé. His birthday was that coming Friday, and she was making arrangements for his friends and family to gather to celebrate with him. She was on her way to the grocery store to order a cake decorated with his image in icing copied from a photo of Charleston when, at 2:12 p.m., she got a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Hi, baby,” Charleston said when she answered.
She told him she noticed the call did not come from his number and asked, “What happened?”
He told her about being pulled over and taken to the ICE office in York and that they were going to put him on a bus to take him to a detention center.
“I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to do,” Versailles said.
She called their pastor. When Costume called the ICE office to find out what had happened, Charleston was already on the bus to Moshannon.
Versailles is devastated. She hasn’t been able to concentrate on her studies – she goes to nursing school – and hasn’t been eating or sleeping. “I just keep thinking, ‘What’s going to happen?’” she said. “I’m heartbroken. I’m scared. I’m not sure what to do.”
She’s not alone. Costume is also heartbroken, he said. Charleston’s little brother, the pastor said, has not stopped crying since that Monday. The kids he coached, Versailles said, “don’t understand. They just miss him.”
‘More than his immigration situation’
Charleston is “more than his current immigration situation,” Versailles wrote in an email following up after an interview.
“Amson is a kind, respectful, hardworking, and caring person who has built meaningful relationships in his community. He is also a coach who dedicates his time to encouraging and supporting the people he works with. As a coach, he is patient, motivated, and genuinely wants to see others succeed.
“He is also very involved in his church, particularly with the media ministry. He uses his skills to help with church services, events, and communication. He is responsible, dependable, and always willing to give his time and talents to serve others.”
“He is someone who has invested in his education, his church, his community, and the people he coaches,” Versailles wrote. “There are many people who know him, care about him, and are deeply affected by what is happening to him.”
