Updated Feb. 6 at 1 p.m.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says Raju Ahmed entered the U.S. legally in 2000 but his legal status was terminated in 2005 after two felony convictions, according to a statement from the agency.
He was ordered deported Aug. 22, 2006 but the U.S. could not secure travel documents for Ahmed from Bangladesh so he was allowed to stay "while the agency continued attempts to carry out his removal," ICE says.
He was arrested at his home on Jan. 24 and has no legal options and will be deported, according to the ICE statement.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly have picked up a second Bangladeshi man in Lawrence.
A Change.org petition asks for help in keeping Raju Ahmed, 40, from being deported.
The petition was created by Shaju Ahmed, who says he is Raju Ahmed’s brother. The petition says that Raju Ahmed is a University of Kansas graduate and a local business owner with three employees.
"My brother, Raju Ahmed, has been a beloved and respected member of the community that he lives in for a long time," the petition states.
The petition is aimed at Rep. Lynn Jenkins, Rep. Kevin Yoder and Kansas' and Missouri's U.S. senators.
"He has a wife in Lawrence, Kansas, along with two little daughters. Their daughter, one 9 years old and the youngest daughter is only a few months old (sic)," the petition states.
So far, 5,200 people have signed it.
State records show that Raju Ahmed has owned Tobacco Bazaar in Lawrence since 2011. State records also show he is a registered sex offender, convicted in 2005 of aggravated sexual battery against a 28-year-old woman.
ICE officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lawrence residents have rallied behind another Bangladeshi, chemistry professor Syed Jamal, who was also recently detained by ICE.
Sam Zeff is KCUR's Metro Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff.
