They were hurried back to Dallas on that Friday afternoon, and before anyone knew what was going on, ICE transported them to a private, for-profit facility, Rolling Plains Regional Jail in Haskell, Texas. I knew all about this experience, or so I thought.
Let's be clear. Entering the US and remaining without proper documentation is a civil law violation, not a criminal act. Still, Monica told me how her captors roughed her up, tried to intimidate her into signing papers she didn't understand, and even handcuffing her very harshly so that they hurt her arms. They lied about how the two family members would be separated and about how her cousin, Jose, had signed the papers in question, also an untruth.
In short, the two then high school students were handled harshly, inappropriately and unjustly.
I asked their attorney why would a person in violation of civil law be handcuffed and treated like this. She told me ICE claims that people like Monica "pose a threat to the safety of the US."
Are kidding me?
So, when ICE "tickets" (that's what they do) business owners who employ undocumented workers, why don't they 'cuff them? Why not haul them off to an incarceration facility over 200 miles away? If it's good for the kids, why not the adults?
And what about bail? Our young friends had to put up a $50,000 bond in cash to get out of that Haskell jail. They were able to come up with it thanks to one of our board members who's stuck with them all the way.
Justice? Hardly.
What are expected standards of treatment for young people brought to the US by their parents as small children?
How is jail time even possible?
Shackles?
Handcuffs?
Intimidation?
Surely not here.
No, sadly, yes, here.
We're studying the matter. Stay tuned.
We think we can change the policy back of this kind of behavior.
Part of the process is to simply inform rational, fair-minded people. You are out there, right?
That is appalling. It sounds like a movie about what we call a "Third World" country. Hard to belive we could treat kids like that. If Monica and Jose have managed to hang on to faith in the US through all of this, they are stronger than I might be under the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteYou really need some new pictures of sad, non-white people. I've seen this one several times on your blog. I feel less guilty every time they pop up.
ReplyDeleteThe anonymous comment, at 3:03 pm - simply beyond disgusting!
ReplyDeleteI fear, Randy, that racists have little empathy or capacity for shame.
ReplyDeleteIf you say a word over and over again, it loses its impact.
ReplyDeleteYes, like Anti-Semitism for tha Nazis. Pretty soon, they just do their thing, the words don't mean much anymore. I see your point.
ReplyDeleteThat was pithy. (Or pissy. Liberals get that confused all the time.)
ReplyDelete