Maryland gamer detained, faces deportation to Cameroon - NBC4 Washington

A Prince George's County man is facing deportation to Cameroon. Ludovic Mbock's loved ones and friends say he’s been in custody for two weeks.

Mbock, 38, has lived in the U.S. for more than two decades after arriving with his family as a young teen in 2002.

Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

WATCH HERE

Mbock’s loved ones say since his detainment, he’s been transferred to Louisiana and Georgia. Now, there’s fear about him being deported to Cameroon.

“If they send him back to our home country of Cameroon, being openly gay is not an option,” Mbock’s sister, Diane Sohan, said. “It's not a thing. People get harassed, they get beaten, they get arrested and even killed for their sexual orientation.”

According to Mbock's attorney, he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Baltimore while trying to apply for his yearly work permit — a process his loved ones say he’s been doing for the past 20 years.

His close friends and relatives say he’s created a life working in the DMV while competing and winning multiple regional gaming championships.

“A lot of shock. There's a lot of panic for me,” said Nikhil Delahaye, a friend and a fellow gamer. “This is the most crucial time for us to be able to act.”

“He’s a good guy. He’s not harmful,” Sohan said. “If you know him, you love him.”

Those are some of the reasons why when Sohan and Delahaye heard about his detention, they were shocked.

“Ludovic has been in the country since 2002, and throughout that entire process, he has been nothing but a model citizen who has followed the exact procedures and path that was laid out for him,” Delahaye said.

Mbock came to the U.S. in 2002 after his mother and stepfather got married. But the couple divorced in 2005 — a life event that impacted Mbock, his mother and siblings.

“They were all placed into removal proceedings as a family. He was a minor, so he fell under her case, and her application to remain in the U.S. was denied, and as a result his application and his siblings' application were also denied,” said his attorney, Edward W. Neufville III.

Mbock’s attorney says his client was granted an order of supervision and was allowed to work in the country as long as he checked in every year. But last month, something changed.

“There’s no reason why he should’ve been detained or his supervision revoked, because there was no violation,” Neufville said.

News4 reached out to ICE to learn more about the case and why Mbock was detained.

A DHS spokesperson confirmed that ICE arrested Mbock in February, in a statement given to News4.

“He was granted a voluntary departure in 2005 but failed to depart in violation of the law. Following his failure to depart, the voluntary departure became a final order of removal,” the statement said.

In the statement, the spokesperson said, “Being in detention is a choice,” and encouraged people in the country illegally to leave.

In the meantime, loved ones say they want to see him released.

“He’s my home, he’s my joy, because we love laughing together,” Sohan said. "He's just a big chunk of my heart.”

Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox.[Subscribe here].