Immigrant living in Charlotte struggling to self-deport

Kaci Jones,

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A man living in Charlotte was detained by agents during a check-in appointment. It happened in January and Tural Atakishiyev has been in a Georgia detention center since then.

Samir Gadirov says his friend Tural Atakishiyev had been following all the rules trying to comply with immigration orders to stay in the country.

β€œI know that Tural went in every in person check-in and also online check-ins,” Gadirov said. β€œHe has a phone application in his phone that he took some pictures every week.”

Gadirov has a Green card. He says Atakishiyev’s attorney advised the friends to become partners to solidify his status in the U.S. He says the attorney told them β€œLGBT is the strongest legal approach to protect Atakishiyev from deportation.”

β€œHe’s my just friend. He, uh, he stayed in Charlotte, and I stay in Charlotte. So we we are just good friends,” Gadirov said. β€œWe just believed our attorney and now we are struggling about this issue because it became a little bit viral and also people start sharing the wrong information.”

In January, Atakishiyev visited the DHS Intensive Supervision Appearance Program office on St. Vardell Lane and never came home. He was taken to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia.

β€œThis is the most frustrating part because, if you do things correctly, so they detain you,” Gadirov said.

Atakishiyev wants to self deport to his home country of Azerbaijan. Samir says a judge has approved the request but Atakishiyev is still locked up with no release date.

β€œThe case already terminated, and there is no future court hearing for Tural. So now he just need to arrange his deportation,” Gadirov said.

WCCB has reported on long lines at the DHS office in Charlotte on Tyvola Centre Drive. Gadirov believes staffing problems lead to major delays.

β€œThere is no enough staff to deal with the immigration,” Gadirov said. β€œI would say that’s why it takes so long because there are millions and millions of immigrants.”

WCCB reached out to the Department of Homeland Security about Atakishiyev’s case. A regional spokesman didn’t give us any specific details about his case, but says the process to self deport could take time. He says the U.S. communicates with the home country and there’s a lot of paperwork involved before the U.S. pays for the flight and gives a $2600 gift card.