Sierra Leone couple freed for Christmas
FORT LAUDERDALE (AP) – A West African couple got what they wanted for Christmas – their release from a South Florida lockup.
U.S. immigration officials released Anthony and Eugenia Akapo on Tuesday. The Pinellas County couple were arrested in October for overstaying their temporary visas.
An Immigrations and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman says the Akapo’s case is pending before the Bureau of Immigration Appeal.
The Akapos fled Sierra Leone in 1999 after anti-government rebels torched their home. They said they also received death threats while in Gambia after Sierra Leone’s civil war ended.
Immigration authorities said the couple can safely return home. A federal appeals court has ordered the immigration bureau to reconsider. The court said the bureau ignored the death threats against the Akapos