Though Jay Smith narrowly avoided arrest on 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, he is currently being held in ICE custody and faces deportation. Jay was picked up after violating a PFA that ex-wife Ashley Martson filed last week. To compound the problems, Jay was found to be in the United States without legal status.
Before Jay went into ICE custody, he deleted his Instagram posts. The activity on his account now is courtesy of a “close friend” that has been in contact with Jay and advocating for his release. Jay created a GoFundMe to offset the cost of his legal bills. Fans of the show, all well castmates on Season 6 of 90 Day Fiance have voiced their opinions about Jay’s situation on social media.
Fernanda Flores is one notable ally. According to an article by US Weekly, she posted, then deleted a statement on Instagram questioning TLC production. Reality TV blogger John Yates reposted a statement that read, “Jay has not received his share of the money for being exploited on this tv show and we are asking help to obtain him a lawyer. This young man has been exploited on national television and as any real person knows, TV is always far from the actual truth. Where are the producers now?”
RELATED: Jay Smith Facing Deportation After Arrest For Probation Violation
Another castmate made a statement. Larissa Dos Santos Lima was fearing deportation after being arrested multiple times for domestic assault. She questioned the legalities of the K-1 process.
Larissa said, “My thoughts are with Ashley at this difficult time, and I pray for her safety. As I myself have been arrested and know the fear Jay must be feeling, I [have] some empathy for him. However, if he violated any laws, he must go before a judge and respect the judgement handed down to him. I believe many aspects of immigration laws regarding the K-1 visa have to change.”
RELATED: Ashley Martson Reacts To Jay Smith’s Pending Deportation; Regrets Televised Fight
Larissa alluded to her turbulent domestic life with ex-husband Colt Johnson. She questioned the power dynamic between the U.S. citizen partner and the foreign one. Larissa said, “Despite the applicant contributing to the household as allowed, many feel like prisoners as they are solely reliant on the people that brought them over to the U.S.”
She also said, “The K-1 applicant is left at the mercy of his or her sponsor and it is leading to more and more abuse of the immigrant.”
In this arena, that is really a serious issue. Certainly the fear of deportation can be used as a bargaining chip. Some people value life in America enough to take that risk.
TELL US- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JAY’S SITUATION? WILL YOU DONATE TO HIS GOFUNDME? SHOULD TLC GET INVOLED?
[Photo Credit: TLC]
