Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Lost in the New American Terror

A bright 18 year old high school senior was detained by ICE this week. She was not driving recklessly or hurting anyone. She had gone with her family to ICE offices to check in - as the family had been doing every 3 months for 3 years.

She was born in Central America and is undocumented - but everything she knows is here. Her only living relatives are here in Houston, not where she was born. She knows no one in Central America.

The family had been making its regular visits to ICE. The only difference this time was that their daughter had just turned 18. ICE officers informed the girl that she could not leave with her parents, would be detained and deported to her country of origin. The rest of the family was allowed to leave ICE offices.

There is no way for the parents to get her out of detention - it is not like she was arrested for a crime... there is no bail. They have spoken to a number of attorneys and have been told there is no hope. They contacted Catholic Charities and were told she couldn't receive help because she is not a refugee.

This information was given to me by one of her high school teachers. People that know her are trying to figure out what can be done.

She is not fortunate enough to have the broad support that Juan Sebastian Gomez had when he was detained. Her family is hoping for a miracle.

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