(NAME-MCE) Supporters fear for popular teacher's safety after deportation

[Anselmo Villanueva]

Supporters fear for popular teacher's safety after deportation

A popular Boston teacher, Obain Attouoman, was deported this week over the
objections of students, colleagues and political leaders. Attouoman fled his
native Ivory Coast in the early 1990s, seeking political asylum in the U.S.
after his involvement in a teachers union and an opposition political party
nearly cost him his life.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/05/22/teachers_fight_ends_in_deportation/
Teacher's fight ends in deportation Supporters fear for his safety  [image:
Obain Attouoman was taken into federal immigration custody yesterday. He is
destined to return to the Ivory Coast.] Obain Attouoman was taken into
federal immigration custody yesterday. He is destined to return to the Ivory
Coast. (TOM LANDERS/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 2005)
 <javascript:openWindow('http://tools.boston.com/pass-it-on?story_url=http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/05/22/teachers_fight_ends_in_deportation','mailit','scrollbars,resizable,width=770,height=450');><http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/05/22/teachers_fight_ends_in_deportation?mode=PF><http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/05/22/teachers_fight_ends_in_deportation/?page=full#>
By James Vaznis  Globe Staff / May 22, 2008

Federal immigration officials deported yesterday a popular Fenway High
School teacher, whose fight against a final deportation order had garnered
the support of his passionate students and the state's top political leaders
over the last several years.

Obain Attouoman, who is in his mid-40s, was expected to board an airplane in
New York last night, destined to return to his homeland, Ivory Coast.

Family, friends, and colleagues fear for his safety. Attouoman's involvement
in a politically active teachers union in Ivory Coast and an insurgent
opposition political party almost cost him his life, prompting him to flee
in the early 1990s.

"The deportation has caught us all by surprise," said Peggy Kemp, headmaster
at Fenway High School. "We are worried about him."

Federal immigration officials took custody of Attouoman Tuesday morning
during a routine check-in with immigration officials at their offices in
Burlington.

Paula Grenier, a spokeswoman for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
said that as a matter of policy she could not discuss details of a
deportation case. However, she added, "That individual is in ICE custody and
has a final order of removal that was issued by an impartial federal
immigration judge, and it's ICE's job to enforce the judicial order."

Attouoman's departure last night was much more subdued than his
near-deportation in March 2005. Students, colleagues, and other supporters
held several rallies that gained news media attention. In response, US
Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry filed legislation that would
have made Attouoman a resident. The pending legislation delayed Attouoman's
departure.

However, the bill expired last year because Congress never acted on it, said
Attouoman's lawyer, Susan Cohen.

"He knew the deportation could happen any time," Cohen said last night.

Nevertheless, "it's still terrible," she added. "He handed me his wallet and
car keys. They took him away, and they didn't let me speak to him."

Attouoman came to America on an exchange visa in the early 1990s and sought
political asylum. Along the way, though, he misread a notice in which he was
given a court hearing date to argue his case, leading a judge to order his
deportation.

A math and special education teacher, Attouoman had a bond with his
students. He was known around the school for his dark pinstripe suits,
prompting students to coin a word for dressing sharply, Obaining.

Many of the students, who are either immigrants or the children of
immigrants, could empathize with his deportation plight, and Attouoman
considered them to be angels for helping him stave off the initial
deportation.

Attouoman also taught at the Mary Lyon K-8 School in Brighton.

"He's very well respected and is a very good teacher," Kemp said. "He is a
very warm, likable human being."

Kemp said it was difficult delivering the news to students and staff,
especially on a day students began taking state standardized tests in math.
Passing those MCAS tests is a state graduation requirement and Attouoman
worked tirelessly to help his students succeed.

During his extended stay in the United States, Attouoman married a US
citizen about a year-and-a-half ago, his lawyer said. His wife filed
paperwork with federal authorities so Attouoman could receive a residency
status that is typically granted to foreigners married to US residents, but
the government has not yet acted on the request, Cohen said. "We will fight
to bring him back," she said.

*James Vaznis can be reached at jvaznis at globe.com.*