A Missouri State University staff person is in custody as an ICE detainee in the Greene County Jail.
Paul J. Essel has been a grants accounting manager at Missouri State since 2019. He is originally from Ghana.
Greene County Jail records indicate Essel was detained by ICE in Springfield Wednesday afternoon.
Missouri court records show only minor traffic violations in 2021 and 2011.
Federal records show Essel came to the US as a student and later attempted to gain citizenship through marriage, that petition was denied in 2012. A separate marriage petition was approved in 2018, but Federal records indicate that the state argued that following that ruling Essel failed to take the appropriate steps to adjust his legal status until it was too late.
Records show a petition to challenge an order of removal was made in 2022 and was ultimately denied in 2023.
KSMU contacted Missouri State University's Department of Strategic Communication, they stated they were aware of the detainment and looking into it.
Update: Missouri State University has issued a statement regarding Essel's arrest. It said, "Missouri State University is aware that Paul Essel, manager of grants accounting, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) yesterday morning (Oct. 7), although at this time we have not received any official communication from any law enforcement agencies on this matter.
Mr. Essel is a valued, long-standing member of the Missouri State University community. He attended Missouri State as a student and obtained two graduate degrees between the years of 2008-14. He began working for the university while pursuing his degree and continued his employment after graduation. Since that time, he remained an employee in good standing.
The university followed its standard hiring procedures and federal law, including criminal background check and verification of his eligibility to work in the United States.
University leadership is working to better understand the situation and determine appropriate action. In accordance with university policy, Mr. Essel is currently on paid administrative leave pending completion of our evaluation. "
KSMU has contacted the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office responsible for the Springfield region for additional details. We've not yet received a reply.
This story was updated at 1:59 p.m. Thursday.
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