FRISCO — Saad Nabeel had just set out on a dream to become an electrical engineer.
The Frisco teenager graduated from Liberty High School and went on to the University of Texas at Arlington on a full scholarship.
But that dream was suddenly cut short when Nabeel was deported to Bangladesh.
Nabeel said he feels like a refugee. He made a YouTube video, issuing a plea to his friends back in North Texas to help him come home.
Nabeel came to the United States with his parents when he was three years old. His father, after losing a long battle to achieve political asylum, was arrested and deported back to Bangladesh.
Nabeel became "deport-able" when he recently turned 18.
“They call America the land of opportunity, but that's only if you have a green card,” said Nabeel,” who talked with WFAA via Skype.
Nabeel was deported after spending 42 days in jail. He said he would have faced criminal charges if he didn't sign an agreement to stay out of the U.S. for 10 years.
“I’ve lost my home," he said. "I've lost my friends, who are considered my family. I've lost literally all of my belongings."
Nabeel's friends back at Liberty High say they understood he was here illegally, but that doesn't make it any easier.
“It’s a really unfair situation for the government to deport him," said sophomore Sami Jarrell. "He has lived here all his life. So he doesn't deserve to go so far away."
Emily Abernathy agrees. “I just think it's unfair because he didn't know about the situation, and it's not his fault that he ended up getting in trouble for what happened to his family," the Liberty senior said.
Nabeel’s friends started a Facebook page: “Bring Saad Nabeel Back Home to America.”
The deported student said he is hoping that compassion will prevail over the letter of the law.
“I really hope someone in government has a heart and is compassionate, because all I wanted to do is become an electrical engineer," Nabeel said.
E-mail sstoler@wfaa.com
