Thread by @ACLU

Adrian and Yasmani are an asylum-seeking couple, originally from Cuba.

This is the story of how they ended up in immigrant detention during the pandemic.

Adrian and Yasmani left Cuba and travelled through Guyana, Brazil, and other countries in the Americas before seeking asylum in the US.

Once they arrived at the border outside of San Diego, they waited in Mexico for months to be able to request asylum. aclu.org/issues/immigra…

After requesting asylum they were detained in a border detention center known as a "hielera," before being transferred to the Otay Mesa detention center.

Otay Mesa is run by for-profit provider CoreCivic, which contracts with ICE to operate the facility. cbs8.com/article/news/h…

“It was horrible there, like another world. When the coronavirus started, we went on a hunger strike because they weren’t giving us masks. They started attacking us. They would show up dressed all in black with tear-gas guns and threaten us, saying go back to your rooms.”

After a guard tested positive for COVID-19, the virus ran rampant throughout Adrian and Yasmani's pod. Everyone around them fell ill, and they worried for their health.

As someone who is HIV positive, Adrian wondered if he would survive.

Thankfully, Adrian and Yasmani were released in connection with a lawsuit brought by @SDACLU, which challenges ongoing detention during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But their immigration processes are far from over. sandiegouniontribune.com/news/immigrati…

“After being released, we felt good to breathe fresh air again. But in my case, I also feel bad because I have an ankle monitor on – you feel like you’re still a prisoner. They call you at night at all times and again at dawn. During the process, you can’t work.”

Adrian and Yasmani are two of the 70,000 people who have been detained during this pandemic.

You can read more about their story and those of the people we profiled here. aclu.org/news/immigrant…