Week Five: Bad Days
Some days bring good news: a police agency will certify a U-Visa request; a work permit comes in; a case gets placed with a pro bono attorney. Then there are those days that mock my firm belief that immigration law couldn’t get worse.
My fifth week ended with news of nationwide ICE raids set to kick off at any moment. Information dripped in slowly, but a storm of questions and panic quickly followed. What cities? Who would be targeted? Where would the detained be placed? Why?
The raids are apparently aimed at 10 cities. Atlanta isn’t supposed to be one of them. Migrant families and unaccompanied children with final deportation orders are the target. By the end of the weekend though, it appeared the raids would be held off … for now. But also, maybe they wouldn't. The information coming out was conflicting so: hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I spent some time researching migrant rights and preparing a guide for attorneys fielding calls from their anxious clients:
Don’t open the door.
Ask if they have a warrant (most don’t).
Don’t say anything without a lawyer.
Make it clear you don’t consent to their search.
Stay calm.
The news of the raids marked the end of a week that had already appeared grim.Earlier in the week, I sat in on a consultation call. Consultations typically happen in person but this woman was in a Georgia detention center. Since I started at GAIN, I’ve fielded at least weekly calls from family members calling after the immigration arrest of a loved one. Given the sheer volume of these asylum-seeking calls and how quickly detainees require legal assistance, we usually have to refer clients elsewhere. In a twist of the saddest luck, the violence this woman suffered upon fleeing persecution and entering the U.S. created an alternative path to legal status. Estella, a victim of human trafficking upon crossing the border, could be eligible for either a T or U-visa — but first, she has to be released from the detention center.
Estellla spoke for an hour about her battered life in Central America and her journey to the U.S. Unlike many others before and after her, she was unable to afford the assistance of coyotes to cross the border. Instead, she met a man willing to help her despite making it clear she had no money. Keeping to his word, the man helped her across undetected. As payment for his assistance, he raped her and forced her into sexual and labor trafficking.
I’ve heard and read many personal accounts and police reports of sexual abuse this summer. All made me angry but Estella’s made me want to scream. Her time in the U.S. has involved either her being held hostage, or upon escaping, her being held in a detention center. And while her abuser is free, she is behind bars. She fears for her life if she’s sent back home. She fears for it if she’s released in the U.S. and her abuser finds her. She fears for it in the detention center, where her pleas for medication have been unanswered. Which outcome should I hope for her?
I finish the week, with a clearer understanding of how broken our immigration system is currently. I see attorneys jumping countless hurdles as they navigate constant policy proposals meant to shatter the system even further. The work is getting heavier emotionally. I wonder if it’s a result of just being more immersed in family immigration or a result of the flood of bad news and detention center reports. Maybe both. And maybe next week, will bring good news.
**Details and name altered for confidentiality purposes**