A Dutchman who was deported from the United States after 40 years because of a drugs offence committed when he was a teenager has said he needs to “start all over again” after landing in the Netherlands.

Owen Ramsingh, 44, told the Telegraaf he had drawn a line under his life in Missouri, where he lived with his wife Diana and teenage daughter, Kimya, until he was arrested by ICE agents in September.

Another daughter, Destinee, died a year ago and is buried in Missouri. The court that authorised his deportation barred him for life from returning to the United States, meaning he can never visit her grave.

“I’m here with my family. I’m safe. I don’t have to be afraid of being arrested,” Ramsingh, who has moved in with his father, Ruben, in Utrecht, told the newspaper.

“We’re going to start again. Look for a house, find work and learn Dutch. Living the Dutch life.”

Amersfoort-born Ramsingh moved to the United States at the age of five after his parents broke up and his mother began a relationship with an American soldier.

Dealing drugs

When that relationship ended, his mother turned to drugs, leaving Ramsingh to grow up on the streets. “I stole to get food for me and my sister,” he said. “Later on I started dealing drugs.“

After serving a 25-month prison sentence, Ramsingh turned his back on crime. “I’ve always worked hard, in construction and security and as a real estate manager,” he said. “I built up a life for my family. I’ve always been ready to serve the community.”

But last September US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested him and detained him for five months, before putting him on a plane to Schiphol at the weekend with only his clothing, his mobile phone and his watch.

His wife, Diana, said it was unclear if he had been banned from the US for life under the “aggravated felony” rules, as the judge indicated. The notice from the immigration authorities rubber-stamping his deportation said he was barred for 10 years.

“We don’t know what the truth is,” she said. “But for now, it’s over.”