CONTROVERSIAL opposition activist Melissa “Melly Mel” Atwell-Holder had predicted that US President Donald Trump would end up in jail before her in a social media post on November 7, 2024.
“Them in de comment celebrating [President Donald] Trump win and hollering, but now y’all could bring home melly mel and jail she. He might be going to jail before me,” the activist wrote on her Facebook page.

Atwell went on to use derogatory language against the sitting US President, stating ‘The Government of Guyana and Trump could carry they sku#+…..”.
Last week, Atwell was detained in New York and taken to a detention facility in Louisiana by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. She is currently being held in the centre awaiting hearing by a US immigration judge.

According to reports, her arrest is linked to her legal status in the US, as well as complaints about fraudulent transactions in the US tied to her name. This conflicts with reports by Atwell that she is a US citizen.
Since her detention, opposition parties in Guyana and some of Atwell’s supporters including comedian Odessa Primus, have attempted to blame the Guyana Government for her detainment.

On Tuesday, key opposition politicians and supporters assembled at Square of the Revolution to protest Atwell’s detainment and called for her release. However, they keenly avoided blaming or implicating the US government in the matter.
Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, Tuesday evening made it clear that the Guyana Government had no role to play in Atwell’s detention and it was the US government enforcing its immigration laws.

“It’s the U.S. government enforcing their immigration laws, not us. They should be protesting the U.S. government, not us,” the AG stated.
Both the PNCR and the AFC have issued statements in support of Atwell, who has used her social media platform to attack, ridicule and slander government officials and ordinary citizens. In 2019, a young man committed suicide after what his family described as online bullying by Atwell and another associate.

Several lawsuits have been filed in Guyana against Atwell for defamation.