(CMR) A London-born actor who has only been to Jamaica twice as a child said he is now facing possible deportation to the island from the UK.
Ace Ruele Aristotles (33), who has appeared in Eastenders, The Legend of Tarzan and New Blood, was born in London to a Jamaican mother who did not have British citizenship at the time. He was subsequently given indefinite leave to remain.
However, he was sent to an immigration center for five months in 2008 after he was convicted of offenses including robbery, The Independent reported.
His status was changed to limited leave to remain in 2016, which required him to pay £2,389 every 30 months to stay in the UK.
The actor, who has three children born in the UK, said he feels he was being punished twice for a mistake he made years ago.
He said: “I take responsibility for my actions, but at the end of the day, I’ve served my time, have never reoffended, and I’m not a threat to society.”
A judge ruled in Aristotles' favor to have the decision to withdraw his status overturned, but the government appealed the decision, claiming he had a “financial incentive” to re-offend and had been unable to demonstrate family ties.
“At the point where my Indefinite Leave to Remain was revoked in 2016, I’d been out of prison for four-and-half years, completed my license, worked with the community, and was genuinely moving forward with my life,” Aristotles said.
“I’m effectively stateless – viewed as neither a citizen of the UK or Jamaica,” he said.
A Home Office spokesperson has since said the actor “was subsequently granted Limited Leave to Remain which enables him to stay and work in the UK. It is incorrect to report that he is facing deportation.”
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