'You Know His Heart': Hampton Bays Community Rallies To Help Beloved Taxi Driver Detained By ICE

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — The Hampton Bays is coming together to help a beloved local taxi driver they say was detained by ICE.

According to a GoFundMe, "Help Bring Sami Home: A Fight for His Freedom," created by Kym Smith: "If you have ever been in a cab in Hampton Bays chances are, you rode with Sami!"

The GoFundMe page reads: "Our beloved friend Sami, the man so many of us know as the warm-hearted local taxi driver of Hampton Bays has been wrongfully taken by ICE during what should have been a routine immigration appointment. He has no legal issues, no warrants, no criminal history and was steps away from becoming a U.S. citizen. Instead, he was detained without warning, and since then, he’s been moved from state to state at lightning speed, making it clear that they are trying to keep his legal defense away and make him disappear."

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sami Abbes, Smith said, "has spent years building a life here not just for himself, but for everyone around him. If you know him, you know his heart. You know he's the man who always shows up. The man who would give you the shirt off his back, the ride at 2 a.m. — even if you're broke. The man who treated every customer like family and every friend like a brother. Now Sami is the one who needs us."

Smith said the community has come together to raise funds to hire a multi-state deportation defense attorney who can fight for his release before it’s too late.

"The legal process is complex and fast-moving, and without proper representation, Sami could be lost in the system," she said. "Our friends have raised enough to cover his first court appearance with an attorney only to have him moved 1,000 miles away in the middle of the night."

Smith added: "This is our chance, maybe our only chance, to bring him home to the family and community that loves him."

Help is needed to "cover urgent legal fees to ensure Sami is not silenced, forgotten, or forced to leave a place he has called home for more than 25 years," she said. "Sami’s wife, son, and all of us who love him and call him a friend are living every day with fear and heartbreak. But we refuse to give up. We refuse to let him disappear. We refuse to let this be the end of his story here in Hampton Bays. This is a call to action. If Sami has ever made you laugh, fed you, driven you home safely, welcomed you into his business, or simply brightened your day please help us fight for him now. Even if you can’t donate, please share this page. Spread his story. Don’t let his voice be taken away. Let’s bring Sami home. Back to his family. Back to his community. Back to where he belongs."

In addition, Smith said, letters of character reference are needed. "Thank you to everyone who has emailed me a character letter on Sami's behalf; they are all so kind. Please keep them coming. If you missed my update — Sami has a bond hearing on January 8. I would like to flood the judge's desk with character letters from all of his friends and locals that have met him."

Letters can be sent via the GoFundMe here.

To donate to the GoFundMe, click here.