Houston - Talk on Immigration - Camayd Freixas - Thursday January 8

Dr. Camayd-Freixas is professor of Latin American Literature at Florida International University. St. Thomas U. should apologize for listing him as only a "federal court interpreter" in its announcement.

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Thursday January 8, 7 p.m. - Rothko Chapel, University of St. Thomas, Houston
FREE Lecture
Postville: Immigrant Abuse beyond America’s Back Roads
Stephen Bloom, Professor of Journalism
Erik Camayd-Freixas, Professor of Latin American Literature


The Rothko Chapel brings the public discussion of human rights abuses at the hands of both a meat packing plant and federal immigration officials in Postville, Iowa earlier this year to the forefront by presenting together, for the first time, the two experts on this subject. Stephen Bloom, professor of journalism at the University of Iowa and author of Postville: A Clash of Cultures in the Heartland, and Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas, associate professor of Latin American Literature at Florida International University and a first-hand witness to the legal proceedings in his role as certified interpreter for the United States courts, will discuss the human rights violations that occurred and the implications with regards to ethics, justice, and democracy. The public is invited to meet the speakers at a reception immediately following the program.

The NYT and the Camayd-Freixas Report

When major immigration issues come up, the NYT* is usually fairly reasonable, especially with it's approach to the DREAM Act. During the past two years the paper has printed a number of supportive editorials. Unfortunately, even the power the NYT has not moved the country enough to do something positive about immigration reform. In fact, ICE raids have intensified and thousands more have been incarcerated.

Today things are different. The Times editorial will help move things along, but the key to all of this is Dr. Camayd-Freixas' essay. At 6:40 p.m. central time, the number of people visiting dreamacttexas has more than doubled, with over 90% of the visits looking for information on Camayd-Freixas' essay. It is interesting how a bit of writing can change things. We should all consider writing comments on newspaper articles and blogs. The impact of the printed (or blogged) only word multiplies over time. You would be surprised how closely people in the Congress watch the movement of the blogs.

Comments supportive of Dr. C-F's essay and the Postville workers can only help. Think about writing a few words...

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July 13, 2008
Editorial
The Shame of Postville, Iowa
New York Times

Anyone who has doubts that this country is abusing and terrorizing undocumented immigrant workers should read an essay by Erik Camayd-Freixas, a professor and Spanish-language court interpreter who witnessed the aftermath of a huge immigration workplace raid at a meatpacking plant in Iowa.

The essay chillingly describes what Dr. Camayd-Freixas saw and heard as he translated for some of the nearly 400 undocumented workers who were seized by federal agents at the Agriprocessors kosher plant in Postville in May.

Under the old way of doing things, the workers, nearly all Guatemalans, would have been simply and swiftly deported. But in a twist of Dickensian cruelty, more than 260 were charged as serious criminals for using false Social Security numbers or residency papers, and most were sentenced to five months in prison.

What is worse, Dr. Camayd-Freixas wrote, is that the system was clearly rigged for the wholesale imposition of mass guilt. He said the court-appointed lawyers had little time in the raids’ hectic aftermath to meet with the workers, many of whom ended up waiving their rights and seemed not to understand the complicated charges against them.

Dr. Camayd-Freixas’s essay describes “the saddest procession I have ever witnessed, which the public would never see” — because cameras were forbidden.

“Driven single-file in groups of 10, shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles, chains dragging as they shuffled through, the slaughterhouse workers were brought in for arraignment, sat and listened through headsets to the interpreted initial appearance, before marching out again to be bused to different county jails, only to make room for the next row of 10.”

He wrote that they had waived their rights in hopes of being quickly deported, “since they had families to support back home.” He said that they did not understand the charges they faced, adding, “and, frankly, neither could I.”

No one is denying that the workers were on the wrong side of the law. But there is a profound difference between stealing people’s identities to rob them of money and property, and using false papers to merely get a job. It is a distinction that the Bush administration, goaded by immigration extremists, has willfully ignored. Deporting unauthorized workers is one thing; sending desperate breadwinners to prison, and their families deeper into poverty, is another.

Court interpreters are normally impartial participants and keep their opinions to themselves. But Dr. Camayd-Freixas, a professor of Spanish at Florida International University, said he was so offended by the cruelty of the prosecutions that he felt compelled to break his silence. “A line was crossed at Postville,” he wrote.

for link to NYT editorial click here

*NYT reporter Julia Preston, who authored the article on the essay, has been especially supportive of the DREAM Act.

The Camayd-Freixas Essay - Please Distribute

link to photo

Camayd-Freixas' complete essay can be accessed at Sanctuary Soapbox

For those interested in protecting the civil liberties of undocumented immigrants it is extremely important to circulate the Camayd-Freixas essay to the widest audience possible.  The public relations campaigns by the Republican Party and other nativist groups have lead to the spread of gross misinformation (to say crudely - lies) about immigrants and their effect on American life.

The U.S. has shown its ambivalence when proposed immigration reform has come before the Congress - the pandering of many lawmakers has been outrageous (not just the Republicans).  The organized forces of nativist groups have overwhelmed the legislative process and drowned out the opposition.  Most Senators and Congressmen (and Congresswomen)  have waffled in their sympathy, empathy, and support for the DREAM ACT and other bills that will help solve our immigration policy issues - as shown when not enough Democrats showed up to vote on the DREAM ACT in October 2007.

The philosopher-historian Michel de Certeau wrote that major social change occurs when your general populace/consumers/citizens -  join together for a major cause - Our Senators and Representatives are not going to change this situation - the American populace will have to create the change.  An important tool for this is the eye-witness account of Harvard trained, Dr. Camayd-Freixas' that dramatically narrates the atrocities related to the Postville ICE Raid.

see dreamacttexas posts Countering Misinformation I and  Countering Misinformation II, both from June 27, 2008

Assembly-Line Justice for Postville Detainees

link to photo










Dr. Camayd-Freixas' essay on the Postville raid has provoked concern throughout the U.S. In Minnesota, the UFCW and a local Jewish Community Action group are traveling to Postville on what they term is a "humanitarian mission."

There has been some questioning of Dr. Camayd-Freixas' ethics for revealing information about his translation services. Deciding to speak out about the Postville raid was a difficult decision. However, the severity of the situation warrants immediate action.

It is worth remembering that although Dr. Camayd-Freixas is receiving national attention for his essay on the raid there are a number of risks involved. For one, most people in the U.S. who speak openly about issues favoring undocumented immigrants often receive threats from the anti-immigrant community. In Houston, college student activists have received threatening phone calls and have been told the someone is watching their family. Journalists who write positive articles on DREAMERS get blasted in the reader's comments. The anti-immigrant groups coordinate "commentary writing" that is often vicious and mis-informed. A comment from a "Mom in Illinois" may really be a bearded guy from FAIR.

There is also the issue of Dr. Camayd-Freixas taking on the role of the public intellectual. Even though most people would consider this an honorable task, academia frequently frowns on scholars who take on community issues too publicly.

See dreamacttexas post "Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas and the Postville Raid" July 11, 2008 and "Denying civil liberties to undocumented immigrants" July 10, 2008
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Local immigration attorneys and advocates say Postville raid reflected 'a complete lack of due process'
Minnesota Independent Media
by Anna Pratt
July 11, 2008


A group of nearly 200 Minnesotans representing the local chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) labor union and Jewish Community Action are planning a trip to Postville, Iowa, on July 27... the group is interested in calling attention to the unconventional legal tactics surrounding the historic raid's subsequent court proceedings.

Some legal experts and activists say that the hearings were rushed, and that overall they failed to grant detainees their due process rights, a charge that a representative from U.S. Attorney's office denies. Hundreds of undocumented workers whose arrests added up to the largest raid in U.S. history were processed through the U.S. Attorney's office for criminal trials instead of the federal immigration court system, which has typically been the setting for such proceedings.

John Keller, an attorney with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota in St. Paul who helped coordinate a national effort to provide legal support to the detainees, tells MnIndy the raid represents a radical departure from those of the past: "The stakes were raised remarkably in comparison to the terms of the process before. If things were bad before, now they are much worse."

For starters, the 305 people who were apprehended for criminal charges were basically given two options, both of which would eventually lead to removal from the country: Either they could be prosecuted for identity theft, a serious federal crime that would lead to a year in jail before being forced to leave, or plead guilty in exchange for a milder five month jail sentence (also to be followed by deportation).

All 305 arrestees pled guilty, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. (Only one case is pending at this point.) Detainees weren't fully briefed on the implications of either choice, while their legal counselors didn't have immigration expertise, says Keller. The workers had only a week to decide whether to accept a plea bargain.

Considering that only 17 public defenders divvied up all of the Postville cases between themselves, they couldn't have had time to debrief every client on the situation, Keller says, while many of those who did plead guilty could have been eligible for asylum in the US. Now, however, they're prevented from doing so and from ever gaining U.S. citizenship. Only a limited number of people caught up in previous raids had been faced with such a harsh charge. "A lot of people who plead guilty didn't have a full understanding of what they gave up," he notes....

for complete article click here

for link to complete Camayd-Freixas essay at Sanctuary Soapbox click here

Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas and the Postville Raid

detail of photo from USA Today, for link click here

Harvard trained Dr. Camayd Freixas has taken a risk and publicized his essay on  the Postville ICE raid.

Here is some background on him from Greg Siskind's blog: 

"Dr. Erik Camayd-Freixas was born in Cuba, received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, and is currently Associate Professor of Latin American literature at FIU. He is the author of the books Realismo mágico y primitivismo and Primitivism and Identity in Latin America, as well as a frequent contributor to literary journals of the Americas and Europe. Dr. Camayd has lectured around the world on topics in literary and cultural studies, ethnic narrative and poetics, historiography of Latin America and the Caribbean, and linguistic analysis of discourse."

below is an excerpt from Camayd-Freixas' essay:

...Driven single-file in groups of 10, shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles, chains dragging as they shuffled through, the slaughterhouse workers were brought in for arraignment, sat and listened through headsets to the interpreted initial appearance, before marching out again to be bused to different county jails, only to make room for the next row of 10. They appeared to be uniformly no more than 5 ft. tall, mostly illiterate Guatemalan peasants with Mayan last names, some being relatives (various Tajtaj, Xicay, Sajché, Sologüí…), some in tears; others with faces of worry, fear, and embarrassment. They all spoke Spanish, a few rather laboriously. It dawned on me that, aside from their nationality, which was imposed on their people in the 19th century, they too were Native Americans, in shackles. They stood out in stark racial contrast with the rest of us as they started their slow penguin march across the makeshift court...

for complete Camayd-Freixas essay at Sanctuary Soapbox click here

Denying civil liberties to undocumented immigrants

detail of photo from USA Today.  For link click here

From NYT article covering an interview with Dr. Camayd-Freixas:

"Professor Camayd-Freixas said he was taken aback by the rapid pace of the proceedings and the pressure prosecutors brought to bear on the defendants and their lawyers by pressing criminal charges instead of deporting the workers immediately for immigration violations." -

'“Most of the clients we interviewed did not even know what a Social Security card was or what purpose it served,” he wrote.'

The article presents Camayl-Freixas as Mr. -- he is actually a Dr., a Harvard PhD and tenured professor at a respected university.
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July 11, 2008
An Interpreter Speaking Up for Migrants
By JULIA PRESTON
New York Times

WATERLOO, Iowa — In 23 years as a certified Spanish interpreter for federal courts, Erik Camayd-Freixas has spoken up in criminal trials many times, but the words he uttered were rarely his own.

Then he was summoned here by court officials to translate in the hearings for nearly 400 illegal immigrant workers arrested in a raid on May 12 at a meatpacking plant. Since then, Mr. Camayd-Freixas, a professor of Spanish at Florida International University, has taken the unusual step of breaking the code of confidentiality among legal interpreters about their work.

In a 14-page essay he circulated among two dozen other interpreters who worked here, Professor Camayd-Freixas wrote that the immigrant defendants whose words he translated, most of them villagers from Guatemala, did not fully understand the criminal charges they were facing or the rights most of them had waived.

In the essay and an interview, Professor Camayd-Freixas said he was taken aback by the rapid pace of the proceedings and the pressure prosecutors brought to bear on the defendants and their lawyers by pressing criminal charges instead of deporting the workers immediately for immigration violations.

He said defense lawyers had little time or privacy to meet with their court-assigned clients in the first hectic days after the raid. Most of the Guatemalans could not read or write, he said. Most did not understand that they were in criminal court.

“The questions they asked showed they did not understand what was going on,” Professor Camayd-Freixas said in the interview. “The great majority were under the impression they were there because of being illegal in the country, not because of Social Security fraud.”

During fast-paced hearings in May, 262 of the illegal immigrants pleaded guilty in one week and were sentenced to prison — most for five months — for knowingly using false Social Security cards or legal residence documents to gain jobs at the Agriprocessors kosher meat plant in nearby Postville. It was the largest criminal enforcement operation ever carried out by immigration authorities at a workplace.

The essay has provoked new questions about the Agriprocessors proceedings, which had been criticized by criminal defense and immigration lawyers as failing to uphold the immigrants’ right to due process. Representative Zoe Lofgren, Democrat of California and chairwoman of the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee, said she would hold a hearing on the prosecutions and call Professor Camayd-Freixas as a witness.

“The essay raises questions about whether the charges brought were supported by the facts,” Ms. Lofgren said.
...He suggested many of the immigrants could not have knowingly committed the crimes in their pleas. “Most of the clients we interviewed did not even know what a Social Security card was or what purpose it served,” he wrote.

He said many immigrants could not distinguish between a Social Security card and a residence visa, known as a green card. They said they had purchased fake documents from smugglers in Postville, or obtained them directly from supervisors at the Agriprocessors plant. Most did not know that the original cards could belong to Americans and legal immigrants, Mr. Camayd-Freixas said...

for link to complete NYT article click here

for link to complete Camayd-Freixas essay at Sanctuary Soapbox, click here