As I attempt to share pieces of
the lives of of the people I met, I'll spend some time and words to talk about
the story of Stewart and how I got to be there.
My journey to Stewart Detention Center started on May 3 when I attended a candlelight vigil at the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC). The City of Atlanta contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold a certain number of detainees at the Atlanta City Jail (note, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced last month that she had signed an executive order prohibiting the city’s jail from accepting new detainees from ICE).
My journey to Stewart Detention Center started on May 3 when I attended a candlelight vigil at the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC). The City of Atlanta contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold a certain number of detainees at the Atlanta City Jail (note, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced last month that she had signed an executive order prohibiting the city’s jail from accepting new detainees from ICE).
The vigil was attended by people of many
faiths and of no particular faith, all speaking out against the conditions at
immigration detention facilities and in memory of all the detainees who have died in
ICE custody. Twenty-nine deaths have been recorded since the American
Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) started publishing records in December
2015.
The names of the three who died in Georgia
detention centers in the last eighteen months were remembered and repeated over
and over. Jean Jimenez-Joseph, 27, Panama, held at
Stewart Detention center, died 5/15/17 due to suicide. Atulkumar Babubhai
Patel, 58, India, held at ACDC, died 5/17/17 from complications from congestive
heart failure. Yulio Castro-Garrido, 33, Cuba, Stewart, died 1/31/18 due to
complications from pneumonia. There have been numerous reports of poor medical
care and detainee oversight at multiple ICE detention locations, including the
ones in Georgia.
At the vigil I had the chance to meet Amilcar Valencia, the Executive Director of El Refugio Ministry, who told me a bit about their work and invited me to visit Stewart. My friend John, who invited me to the vigil, hand been there before and we decided to go at our next opportunity, which was June 28.
At the vigil I had the chance to meet Amilcar Valencia, the Executive Director of El Refugio Ministry, who told me a bit about their work and invited me to visit Stewart. My friend John, who invited me to the vigil, hand been there before and we decided to go at our next opportunity, which was June 28.
Our trip started and ended at
Waffle House with Waffle House, Stewart and Country's Barbecue in between. I
also got a chance to meet a new friend, Stan, along the way.
Next up, Alexandro's story,
followed by more about Stewart…if it quacks like a duck.
Pics from ACDC
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