Jimmy Al-Daoud, a homeless refugee who was found dead after he was deported to Iraq, will be returned to Michigan to be buried next to his family members, U.S. Rep. Andy Levin announced Friday.
Al-Daoud, a mentally ill and diabetic refugee, was born in a refugee camp in Greece in 1978 after his parents fled Iraq between wars. His family was granted refugee status in the United States in 1979, and the family traveled from Greece to Detroit when Al-Daoud was about a year old.
On Tuesday, The Detroit News reported his death based on family accounts. His family and friends in the U.S. say Al-Daoud, who they say was bipolar and schizophrenic, had been living on the streets in Baghdad with two other men who had been deported the same day. He was 41 years old.
They said he died from not being able to find medication, but ICE said before his June 2 deportation that “he was supplied with a full complement of medicine to ensure continuity of care.”
