I visited a detained asylum seeker and here is what happened
We are stronger when we band together and advocate for the rights of each other.
I visited a detained asylum seeker, and here is what happened.
"I see you. I hear you. I love you" is what I told him.
With a prison guard looking over my shoulder.
While we only met and had only one hour together, I also told him I would be his storyteller.
He is a Marielito, a middle-aged Cuban man who fled Cuba 38 years ago, seeking protection in the USA.
He has lived, loved, worked, and grown up in a country he calls his own and loves very much.
He is not perfect. He made a mistake and paid his time over 15 years ago.
He tells me he checks in regularly with ICE and has tried to become a full citizen and paid thousands of dollars to crooked attorneys.
His company calls him regularly; they miss him.
His girlfriend also misses him. He worries for her.
He looks at me with eyes of regret and fear.
He tells me, "They plucked 25 in the middle of the night last night to fly back to Cuba."
He tells me the Cubans meet each morning to see who has left. Some are too old and should be in a nursing home.
He tells me they are choosing the weak, frail, sick, and old. The US pays Cuba $30,000 per prisoner, and when you get to Cuba, they put you in prison for 3-6 months and then finish you off. Little food, water and no medical help.
I tell him that violence will not end violence. Hate will not end hate. Retaliation will not end retaliation.
I tell him that only love and determination will end racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, and bigotry and that others like me are full of love and we will fight for him. I tell him it may seem hopeless but there is always hope.
I share this story with you as I wrote it in June 2018 as I recalled my visit with a detainee. 1
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