NEW JERSEY (PIX11) – A beloved New Jersey father detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently sent a message to his community, stressing he is trying to maintain hope.
Karim Daoud, a father of two and ‘local celebrity’ in Flemington, has been at the ICE Detention Center in Elizabeth for over 40 days.
In a letter posted on his behalf to Facebook, Daoud said he recently received 104 letters of support in just one day.
“Every single day I try to stay strong and positive. I do really try; and I sure get the most amazing love and support reminder especially when I received all the letters … from my friends, family and folks I've never met before (yet),” Daoud wrote in the letter. “That definitely boosts my hope and lets me know, I'm not fighting this alone.”
Despite having no criminal history, Daoud was unexpectedly detained after an appointment to pick up documents related to his work authorization, his loved ones said. Daoud, who is from Egypt, has been trying to get his citizenship for years, his loved ones told NJ.com.
New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim told PIX11 News he recently visited Daoud at the Elizabeth facility, where he showed up unannounced to get a sense of normal conditions.
“This is just heartbreaking,” Kim said. “This is someone who has been in the country for 20 years, has a U.S. citizen wife, has two kids born here…. And no criminal background, no violent background.”
During the senator's visit, Daoud expressed concern about his young children, who recently wrote to their father saying they miss him every day.
“He’s telling me heartbreaking stories about seeing his little kids and [is] uncertain when he’s going to be able to be with them again,” Kim said. “This is his country, after 21 years being here, [he] built a family here.”
In the letter posted to Facebook, Daoud described the moment he saw the letter from his child.
"Every ounce of steel I had left in me, just collapsed without any warning," Daoud wrote in his letter.
A spokesperson for ICE told PIX11 News Daoud was arrested on March 12 after “violating U.S. immigration laws” and has already used many avenues for appeal.
“Mr. Daoud has exhausted all due process and appeals and is now subject to a final order of removal from an immigration judge,” an ICE spokesperson said.
Since his detention, Daoud’s community has called on the government to “Free Karim." Local business owner Dave Norton said Daoud is a "local celebrity" known for his kindness.
A GoFundMe for Daoud’s family has raised $93,406 from over 1,000 donors. Earlier in April, hundreds of people showed up to a recent vigil for Daoud at the Strangl Factory.
“Karim was a community builder, he was a connector,” Norton said in an Instagram video. “Everybody loves Karim. It is no hyperbole when I say that he is one of the most well-respected, hard-working members of this community.”
Even still, Kim said he thinks Americans know this isn’t the right approach.
“I really, truly believe the American people know that's not what we should be focused on,” Kim said.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
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