PRAP
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Post*Release*Accompaniment*Project A Collaboration of:
Centro Legal de la Raza, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity & CIVIC
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est. 2014
Alma's Story
"I left because my daughter's father abused me."
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Alma left Honduras in November 2015 to escape years of domestic violence at the hands of her daughter’s father. When Alma reached the United States border she asked the immigration officials for asylum. Alma was detained and was put in a freezing detention room known as the“hieleras” or icebox. As stated by Alma, “one loses the sense of time in there, you don’t know what day or hour it is.” Alma described the hielera as being very small and overcrowded with women and children, including newborns and pregnant women. “The kids couldn’t stand the cold. They would give us an aluminum blanket to cover ourselves with but it wasn’t enough. Sometimes the children would throw up from the awful food they gave us. The kids would also pee on themselves sometimes because the single stall that was in the cell wasn’t always working.”
Alma was then transferred to another detention center in Texas before being flown to a Bay Area detention center. As with all asylum seekers, Alma was transported to the San Francisco area in full restraints despite having no criminal record and no incidents whatsoever of violent behavior. “They chained me on my hands and feet. Some of us had tighter chains than others. We asked the Immigration officials to loosen the chains but they would ignore us.”
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“I didn’t know anything about how my case was going to be processed until lawyers from Centro legal de la Raza came to the jail and oriented me. I felt so relieved when they told me they were going to represent me. I was even happier when my bond was lowered.” Despite being happy, Alma was also nervous when she was released. “They just release you and expect you to figure out things out on your own. But then I called my nephew in New York City, he called [the PRAP coordinator] and then a volunteer picked me up. She took me to eat Latin food. We went to pick up clothing from a Catholic church, she let me shower in her home. She gave me excellent treatment. After waiting so long to get out, being outside felt so surreal. Then another volunteer came by to pick me up to go to the airport. When I got to New York my nephew was waiting for me. My friends and family have helped me find a lawyer in New York City. I am hopeful that I will win my asylum and be able to be safe.”
Marfina's Story:
“Allá es allá y todo es diferente.”
Marfina left Guatemala in November of 2015 to flee gender based persecution and death threats from the Maras—gangs—in her country. “Allá es allá y todo es diferente”, Marfina says. “There is there and it’s all so different”. Marfina requested asylum at the United States border and was placed in the freezing detention rooms known as “hieleras” or iceboxes—holding cells so cold that they make detainee’s fingers and toes turn blue and their lips chap.”
According to a report by Americans for Immigrant Justice, hieleras are often crowded, they have no mattresses, beds or chairs and there is a single sink and toilet in plain view. Marfina says she was in the cell along with about 35 other women. At least five of the women had children as young as two years old. Some of the slightly older kids were placed elsewhere without their mom and their mothers were frantically trying to find out where their children had been taken. Marfina reports that the cell was very small and so overcrowded that it was hard to cross over people to go to the bathroom. All day and all night cold air is streamed into the cell. Marfina along with the other women and children were fed bread with ham and and a glass of water once a day. She was in the hieleras for 10 days before she was transferred to another Texas detention center.
Marfina was transported to California in chains that hurt her arms and legs and were kept on for the entire flight and van ride to the detention center. Marfina reports that being detained was so terrible that she often thought it would be better to be deported and killed. Thankfully, Marfina met with attorneys from Centro Legal and volunteers from CIVIC’s visitation program and was able to find the strength to make it through over two months of detention.
In speaking of the PRAP program, Marfina states “I admire and thank the service you do to all the immigrants. The way you find a way to help them and be with the person is beautiful. Many times family members do not have money to pay an attorney and so your help is great. I thank you greatly because you provided me with with all the legal support and with being able to get to my family. I was able to get out because you lowered my bond. Once I was out the PRAP volunteer helped me leave the jail and get to the airport so I could reunite with my family.”
“Now that I am out I feel good,” Marfina says. “I am staying with my uncles, they are taking care of me and very thankful for your services and for the work you did with me.”
Nancy's Story
“Allí no se siente el tiempo.”
Nancy fled Honduras in December of 2015 to escape familial and gang violence. When Nancy reached the United States border, she was detained and held in one of the freezing detention rooms known as “hieleras” or iceboxes.
While in immigration detention in California, Nancy and the other asylum seekers she was detained with were kept in their individual cells all day except for a few hours. Nancy explained that if she or one of the other women had to go to the bathroom while in their cells, they were told to wait until the guards allowed people to come out of their cells. Nancy also described that when she and other asylum seekers asked for toilet paper the guards would throw the toilet paper at them.
In Nancy’s words, “If it wasn’t for you I think I would still be locked up, in my country or on the way back to the US. I feel very thankful because I was treated very well, from [the PRAP coordinator] that was in touch with my family to my lawyer that defended my case. When I was released I was picked up by volunteers. They took me clothing and toiletries. The volunteer that picked me up, took me to a restaurant and was with me until my flight left. He bought me cookies so I would be comfortable. When you are in a country you are unfamiliar with and you have that help it’s the best feeling. It is something that I will never forget and can never repay.”
Volunteer Stories:
From a long time, repeat volunteer a note about the challenges faced at the airport and how he had to fight to be able to accompany the release asylum seekers to their gates:
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· “At SFO I had to get the two earliest departees onto their planes first-- both on Delta. The Delta desk personnel did not know how to handle the situation [since PRAP clients don't have ID's], and tried to print out boarding passes, and failed. Then the counter person simply stood there staring at the computer screen. After 2-3 silent minutes, he called for a supervisor and said he did not know how to handle this situation. The supervisor was also uncertain. Finally the supervisor said that he would have to go and consult security personnel to see if he could issue them tickets. I assured him that security would handle the situations when we arrived with tickets, and that was my purpose for accompanying them and I added that I had done this many times. Finally he had the counter man issue the tickets, and said that they could not give me a pass to go through TSA screening. We discussed that for a short time, and I mentioned that since these two ladies were Spanish speaking only, if I did not accompany them, Delta would have to find a Spanish speaking employee who would take them through security, and accompany them to their gates. At that point the supervisor had the counter man issue me a pass. This all took a long time!”
From a volunteer who picked up four asylum seekers in one evening and stopped to use donated Quizno’s gift cards to buy them dinner before their flights:
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· “None of my four had eaten, and were hungry. I took them to the nearby Quizno's sandwich shop to buy sandwiches, chips and drinks of their choice. The fourth one turned away from the posted menu, and my explanation of the contents of the sandwiches. She walked away, sat at a table, leaned her head on the wall and began to cry.”
From a team of PRAP volunteers after their first jail pick up and airport transport of a young asylum seeker from Central America:
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· “Wendy is a very holy, saintly person. She had a couple of miracles tonight. First, she had no trouble getting through the first gate - they just did extra "searching" of her body. We found the gate to her flight to LA (where she was supposed to wait until 6:45 AM for the flight to Washington, DC). I went to the gate for her flight to ask the gentleman at the gate desk about any other flight options. I met another saint. He said, "Why is she on the flight to LA when she's going to DC? There's a flight direct to DC at this next desk (same gate) leaving at 11:30. Ask her if she wants to take that one." And of course she did. So he got her ticket changed and she was on a flight directly to DC. It was quite a holy night.”