LYNNWOOD – Some members of an extended Fijian family who faced deportation have been sent back to their native country.
Eight adults and five children departed Tuesday, said Mike Milne, a spokesman for the Seattle office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which carries out deportations.
Milne said those sent back to Fiji were Josaia Gucake; his brother, Savaneca Gucake; Atama and Sivoki Nawaciono; Adi and Jona Yacatini; Gade Tuioneata; and Marica Vosailagi.
He would not give the names of the five children who left with the adults. Josaia Gucake and his wife, Grace, had three daughters who had said they were to be deported: Adi, 16; Liku, 13; and Roko, 10. Their cousins also were scheduled to leave, they said.
Family members could not be reached by phone. The children left their homes Tuesday morning, said Marama Rakaria, a friend who was staying at the Lynnwood home where several members of the family lived.
Two other adults who were supposed to leave did not show up for deportation and will be sought by authorities, Milne said. He would not disclose their names.
Josaia and Grace Gucake were arrested Oct. 6 and were held in Tacoma pending deportation. Grace Gucake’s name was not on the list of people deported.
While here, Josaia Gucake, 47, became senior pastor at Christ Faith Tabernacle Church in Lynnwood, a church attended by a number of Fijians. Grace Gucake worked as a home caregiver, family members said.
A fund-raising event was held Friday to help the family pay their moving expenses, said Vicki Clark, a counselor at College Place Middle School, where one of the children was enrolled. About $1,500 was raised, she said.
Family members said Josaia Gucake had been a senator in the South Pacific island nation and his life was endangered after a military coup in 2000. They said they were afraid of what would happen if they returned to the country. U.S. immigration officials would not discuss details of Josaia Gucake’s case.
In the coup, the military held the ruling party hostage in Parliament buildings in Suva, the capital, for 51 days, said Cheryl Brown, second secretary at the Fijian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Josaia Gucake was not one of those held hostage, she said. Several people were killed in the coup, she said.
The family may have little to worry about in Fiji, based on comments made by Nirmal Singh, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Suva. Shortly after the coup, the military handed power back to civilians and there is now a democratically elected government, Singh said.
“There has not been any politically motivated killing,” he said. “Everything is back to normal. It’s like any other democracy at the moment.”
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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