El Refugio at Stewart Detention Center

https://action.mijente.net//protect-survivors-of-medical-a

Several El Refugio visitors had the pleasure of meeting K. over the years. He was detained at Stewart throughout most of 2018 and part of 2019, where he worked as a barber before being transferred to Folkson and then Irwin. He made some wonderful friends in Georgia and Florida who visited him, supported him, and helped him fight for asylum. People who visited with him were struck by his intelligence, openness, and gentle demeanor. A high school student who visited K. said, W...ithin five minutes, I felt like I was having a deep conversation with an old friend. Yesterday, K. was deported back to his west African country of origin. His friend who was from the same country and detained with him was deported and immediately jailed, and K. expects this to be his fate as well. At his asylum hearing, it was revealed that his crime in his country of origin was listening to banned rap music. He somehow lost appeal after appeal despite what seemed like solid proof that he was tortured. K.’s friends in Georgia and Florida hope to hear from him that he is safe. Nothing in his journey thus far would suggest that as a likely scenario, but there are so many unknowns. As a high school student wrote in his reflection after visiting at Stewart. The immigrant’s journey has no beginning and no end.

#FreeThemAll #ShutDownStewart #ShutDownIrwin

No matter where someone came from or how they arrived in the United States, their life is of value & they should be treated with dignity and respect. At Stewart Detention Center there have been three deaths this year, seven in the last three years. The detention of people in ICE facilities put them at risk and threatens the lives of all people incarcerated. Detention is a death sentence for many. In the midst of this pandemic, the US government must release people from detent...ion, ICE is incapable to protect them. On #DayoftheDead, we remember the 21 lives lost in ICE custody during Fiscal Year 2020, including the 8 lives lost to #COVID19. #EndDetention #EndDeaths #FreeThemAll

For our supporters who are confused by immigrant bonds, why they are so high, why the person has to come up with the full amount, and why so many people at Stewart don't even have the option of bond, this story sheds a lot of light:

The hundreds of immigrants being jailed indefinitely should be with loved ones who are already in the United States NOT wasting away in detention. #FreeThemAll

ICE’s refusal to do the right thing & free the hundreds of immigrants across the U.S. reveals the true purpose of these ICE jails: to turn a profit, not protect people. According to ICE’s own standards, these people should be released, not held in dangerous conditions. #FreeThemAll #PeopleOverProfit

With 372 people in detention who’ve tested positive for #COVID19 and 3 deaths, Stewart is the second leading ICE center in positive COVID-19 cases and has the highest death toll.

People detained at Stewart Detention Center demand to be released and to be treated like human beings.

Through El Refugio's hotline, we have spoken to many asylum seekers who signed their deportation orders months ago and remain at Stewart Detention Center, awaiting deportation with no idea when that day will come... this includes over 100+ Cuban immigrants at private prison leader CoreCivic’s Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA. #FreeThemAll https://bit.ly/3kSBPC5

Looking for volunteer opportunities? You can serve as a Letter-writing volunteer with El Refugio. El Refugio Letter-writing Volunteer serves as a link between detained individuals and El Refugio. Our Letter-writing program helps immigrants at Stewart building strong relationships and overcome their isolation. Click on the link to see the full description. https://bit.ly/34viMI7

Nurse Dawn Wooten witnessed the horrors of medical neglect and abuse at Irwin County Detention Center and, alongside survivors of medical abuse who shared their experiences, sounded the alarm. As a result, on September 26, "12 members of Congress met with Ms. Wooten, visited Irwin Detention Center, and heard the direct testimonies of detained women who experienced medical neglect, abuse, and retaliation. Within a week, leaders within the delegation passed House Resolution 1153 to condemn the medical abuse and demand a full investigation." We are in a moment! To get involved, check out this organizing toolkit from Project South, Georgia Detention Watch, GLAHR, and South Georgia Immigrant Support Network: https://docs.google.com//1tpOnWP3Wn7b2xhuwipGtLp8wPe/edit