#StoriesFromKarnes: Maria* is from Haiti. She’s detained with her husband and her son.
Doctors say we need healthy diets to ensure we’ve a strong immune system but her son has stopped eating because the food is so bad.
Here’s what she told us:
“Whenever my son eats the food here, he always seems to get a stomach ache afterwards so now he does not want to eat anything.”
Her son has lost 2 pounds since they were detained, and the doctor told them it’s not a big deal.
Detainees are even made to buy water: “We even have to buy water here, using the little money that we are able to earn while here, because the water quality is not good and the water out of the tap here gives our son a stomachache.”
The biggest stress folks inside have is catching the virus: “We fear that because of how close we all are to each other, and the fact that people are coming and going here, that we are at serious risk to catch the virus.”
“If one person gets the virus, then we will all most likely get it. We are all concerned for our children. Meanwhile the officials here have not told us anything about the disease, they haven’t even mentioned it.”
She is asking to be released asap: “If we were able to live with our sponsor while we await our asylum claim, this would allow us to hopefully keep our family safe from the virus. We would also be able to provide better food for my son and make sure that he stays healthy.”
The stress Maria is under is unimaginable.
Nothing will change unless you join us in demanding ICE frees them all.
Please call up your Member of Congress and ask them to demand ICE #FreeThemAll.
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Since 2014, RAICES has represented thousands of people, including children inside the Karnes Detention Center. It’s often touted as a “model” facility by the US government.
There is nothing “model” about it. It is a prison, rife with violence and systemic abuse. #immigration
The RAICES Family Detention Services team was able to obtain an unprecedented amount of information about the migration experiences of adult women detained at Karnes.
❌ At least 633 out of approximately 1,900 women detained reported experiencing mistreatment while in custody.
❌ 839 women reported that they were separated from family members.
❌ There has never been a full-time pediatrician at Karnes, nor is there obstetrics care available.
Our hearts are with the people of #Ukraine and everyone impacted by Russian aggression. War serves only to create death and destruction, and will lead to a humanitarian crisis and the mass displacement of millions of people.
This is not new: we have witnessed how devastating war and conflict can be in places like Haiti and Afghanistan. The US must be ready to respond immediately, and welcome all those who are forced to flee their homes.
Although @POTUS mentioned a vague reference to providing humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine in his speech yesterday, nothing he said was concrete.
Last week was the Black Immigrant Advocacy Day of Action! We joined in celebrating the leadership of Black immigrants in the work to expose + eradicate racism in the immigration system. But fighting for Black Immigrants isn't just a one time event. Here's what we can STILL DO: 👇🏽
Support + follow Black immigrant-led immigrants rights organizations, including:
We are absolutely disgusted by the Biden Administration's decision to deport thousands of Haitians one month after the devastating earthquake and storm that resulted in 2,200 deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. 🧵👇🏾
Families who lost everything to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake are now living through flash floods and mudslides. The destruction is large-scale and unprecedented, worsening Haiti’s already unstable political and social infrastructure.
Haiti is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change – and we can expect climate disasters to continue to devastate the nation in the years to come.
The Senate parliamentarian just recommended that a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and Essential Workers should not be included in the budget reconciliation bill. We are disappointed to hear the news, but we know that this fight is far from over. 🧵👇🏾
We have spent decades fighting for a path to legalization for all undocumented immigrants in this country. We are not giving up now. Democrats in Congress can still keep their promise, without compromising on increased enforcement.
We expect them to use all the tools to get this done. They can do the following:
✅Dems can rework the legalization language and resubmit to the Parliamentarian;
✅Vice President Harris can overrule the parliamentarian;
We are extremely disappointed in the Biden Administration's decision to appeal the federal court ruling that would block #Title42. @POTUS has a moral obligation to stop using T42 to harm families and children seeking asylum.
It is immoral and inhumane.
Here's our statement:
We at RAICES have a front row seat to the horrors of Title 42. Our clients are stuck in Mexico. Families fleeing violence are turned away. U.S. and international Asylum law is flouted.