STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New Brighton resident Alhaji Nyallay immigrated to the U.S. alone from Sierra Leone more than 12 years ago, arriving with no money, job or higher education. Today he is a successful business owner. But he still vividly remembers his struggle growing up in the African country plagued with poverty, high crime rates, and political instability.
When Nyallay was 2 years old, his father died. And for much of his formative years he was juggled around among family members because his mother needed to work extensive hours just to put food on the table.
But everything changed when he was 24 years old. Nyallay said he “hit the jackpot” with an opportunity to immigrate to America. And he didn’t let that go to waste.
He put himself through college, obtaining a master’s degree in digital forensics and cybersecurity from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, and launched his own IT business, IT @ Work Support LLC in New Brighton in January 2020. Once he made a life for himself here, Nyallay sought to help others living in impoverished conditions in his home country.
“I see America like a big brother helping other nations — not only the countries themselves, but also individually. America helps people stand on their own two feet, and gives people the kind of opportunity that is probably lacking in their own country,” said Nyallay.
To help those still in Sierra Leone, Nyallay founded a “charity school” together with his brother, called the Nightingale College of Health and Social Science that now boasts a student population of more than 1,000. He even went so far as to adopt a son, who also lost his biological father at the age of 2.
For the past three years, Nyallay has been desperately trying to bring his adopted son, now 16 years old, to the country that has given him so much opportunity.
But with President Donald Trump’s ban that will halt travel to 12 countries and imposes restrictions on seven others, including Sierra Leone, Nyallay fears his son won’t be able to get to the U.S. to join the rest of his family, which includes Nyallay’s wife and two biological children.
“I’ve submitted all the documentation here in the U.S., but they have not approved him yet,” said Nyallay. “The paperwork to get my son in Sierra Leone has been taking forever. He has a similar story to mine. I have visited Africa to see him many times ... I adopted him because his mother had no way to take care of him.”
The travel ban, which takes effect Monday at 12:01 a.m., also includes those from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
In addition, heightened restrictions will be placed on travelers from Sierra Leone, along with Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, reported the Associated Press.
More desperate than ever
Nyallay said his older brother has acted as caretaker to his son in Sierra Leone, but he is moving to Liberia for business reasons. Now Nyallay is more desperate than ever to bring his child to the home waiting for him on Staten Island.
“With my brother moving, I’m worried that my child doesn’t have a safe environment where he’s going to stay. I don’t have somebody who can actually take care of my son there now,” he said.
And to make matters worse, the teenager was recently brutally beaten.
“They (peers in Sierra Leone) wanted to initiate him into traditional society — the kind we have in Sierra Leone, a very brutal one. They force kids at a certain age to be initiated. It’s inhuman; it’s not good,” he said.
“(The perpetrators) followed him and beat him up. I have all pictures of those things. I reported it to the police. I have a police report. But the police are also part of the society, and they’re not going to take any action,” added Nyallay.
He said he also submitted photos of his injured son, hospital records and police reports to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, to no avail.
However, one Staten Island official is trying to help, he said. Nyallay has asked for the assistance of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, to help bring his son to the U.S.
“My office is proud to have assisted over 1,800 law abiding individuals obtain green cards, visas and citizenships, including some from Sierra Leone,” she said. “We are currently working with the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS on behalf of Alhaji Nyallay’s son and remain hopeful that because of our efforts, the father and son will soon be reunited.”
But, again, with the recent travel restrictions, Nyallay feels he’s running out of time.
Realizing a dream
Nyallay was able to come to the U.S through the Immigration Act of 1990, which established the Diversity Visa program, allowing residents of other countries to apply via a lottery system for a path to U.S. citizenship. He won the lottery.
However, prior to this opportunity, life was far from lucky for Nyallay.
“I was born to a low-income family,” said Nyallay of his upbringing. “Life became very tough for my mom to raise my siblings and me. I did not grow up with a secure sense of home. ... It was sometimes very difficult to go to school. Sometimes, it was difficult to even get something to eat.”
So when he met the criteria for the program, he was determined to “make it” in the U.S.
And with no family in America, he made it on his own.
Nyallay said he worked hard to make his “American dream” come to fruition.
His new dream: to bring his son home to Staten Island.
The names of Nyallay’s family members have not been included in the story because of the sensitivity of the situation.
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