GoFundMe Launched For Detained Loose Ends Singer Jane Eugene

A GoFundMe page has been launched to raise money for Jane Eugene’s legal fees, after the singer has been detained by ICE over visa issues.

On July 21, Billboard had reported that Eugene had been detained by ICE when she was crossing the Canadian border, allegedly for overstaying a visa that expired years ago. That incident took place almost three months ago. Since then, she’s been in ICE custody, most of that time at a correctional facility in Kentucky.

Newsweek confirmed with a Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary that Eugene was refused entry in Canada on May 3. The assistant secretary also told Newsweek, that Eugene was “denied an immigrant petition for alien workers in 1999, and had already overstayed her visa at the time of application.”

Jane Eugene’s supporters reason, that “Under Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) there’s a provision that allows people who entered the country and applied for a green card before 2001 to re-apply for legal status while still in the US, even if they overstayed their visa. Jane meets the requirements for 245(i) and is ‘grandfathered’ in.”

But in order to qualify for the provision, the Newsweek article explains, quoting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): “you must be the beneficiary of a labor certification application (Form ETA 750) or immigrant visa petition (Forms I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, or I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) filed on or before April 30, 2001.” In addition, “You must complete Supplement A to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, to apply under Section 245(i) provisions and submit it with your Form I-485.”

It wasn’t clear at the time of writing if Eugene met those requirements, but Eugene was scheduled have an immigration hearing this week.

According to the GoFundMe page, the conditions of being detained for now almost three months, as well as the prospect of facing deportation have been taking a severe toll on the singer’s health.

The GoFundMe page has a $50,000 target to cover “the initial cost of legal fees, pay for a possible bond (bail), close some of the gaps on paying for basic needs, and restore her currently failing health once she is released from ICE custody.”

At the time of writing, $22,327 had been raised. “She loves America, has made her home here, and wants to fight using every legal remedy available,” the GoFundMe page further states.

Eugene is the voice behind timeless Loose Ends hits including “Hangin’ on a String”, and “Slow Down” both of which topped the Billboard R&B charts in the mid-1980s.

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