Author: mopress

Email from Dr. Asma Salam.

Dear Imams, Rabbi, Pastors, UNTHSC Family and Friends,

On Wednesday May 2nd, 2007 my 5 week protest against inhumane treatment of children and families at Immigration Detention Centers operated by “ICE” Immigration Custom Enforment agency will end, however my efforts to release the pain and suffering of these children, women and men will not stop until we put an end to the violations of human rights in our state of “Texas” and in our homeland “United States of America”
Our religious, spiritual and moral obligations reminds us that we do not have to give birth to feel the pain and sufferings of innocent children and we do not have to be related by blood or marriage to support and help people in misery. The most beautiful relation and the strongest bond we share is the bond of humanity among all of us as we all are children of Adam and Abraham regardless of our color, cast and creed. It is an imperative as human for all of us to defend the human rights and to melt “ICE” and to let our government know that we will not accept this inhumane treatment of children, women and men in our country.

I would like to share these verses by Sheikh Saadi from his book “Gulistan (The Rose Garden),” written in his honor on the entrance to the Hall of Nations in New York .

“Of one Essence is the human race,
Thusly has Creation put the Base;
One Limb impacted is sufficient,
For all Others to feel the Mace.”
(Sheikh Saadi)

Thank you all for your direct and indirect support. May God help us all in uniting and bringing peace and justice to these children and families who have already suffered enough in these immigration detention centers as we all know that none of them deserve a moment to be in this inhumane and unjust environment.

Please log on to http://texascivilrightsreview.org to learn more about this issue, and feel free to contact me at 817-707-6411 or at asmasalam@sbcglobal.net if you have any question or concern regarding this issue.

Thank you and God bless you.

Asma Salam MD
Arlington, TX

Email from Joshua Bardavid, Esq.

The Hazahzas are free! They have been released on an order of supervision. Obviously we are all thrilled that they are finally free from unnecessary imprisonment, but I remained deeply dismayed that the
government waited until six months had elapsed. As we noted in our Court filings, simply because detention beyond six months is presumptively unreasonable does not mean that detention before six months reasonable or constitutional. Put another way, by releasing the
Hazahzas, the government is conceding that removal/deportation is unforeseeable. So if removal is unforeseeable today, then it was unforeseeable yesterday (and the day before that, and even on November 2, 2006, the day they were detained). As far as we can tell, ICE held the Hazahzas this long simply because they believed their actions were
unreviewable. I hope Congress takes note of this, and restores the habeas corpus authority of the courts to review actions of ICE.

Greg, thanks again for your keeping everyone informed of this and all of the other cases — Congress may be able to shield ICE from the eyes of the courts, but they will never be able to shield it from the eyes of the grassroots movement!

-Josh

NOTE: in reply to a follow-up email, Bardavid said he expects Ahmad Hazahza to be released on Monday, May 7.

The following materials were previously posted as site announcements.–gm

Please join Dr. Asma Salam as she continues her rolling vigil for Rolling Plains prisoner Suzi Hazahza and all mistreated immigrants at the Dallas Federal Courthouse, 1100 Commerce St., every weekday from 9am – 4pm. At last report, Suzi’s human right to habeas corpus has been placed in ABEYANCE by the USA until May 2 (see below).

Dr. Asma Salam keeps vigil outside the Dallas Federal Courthouse (Photo by Trish Majors)

Thank you so much. I hope this protest makes a difference and God accepts our deeds. Every morning that I spent alone makes me very sad as I could not escape thinking about all that is going on inside these immigration detention centers and the ignorance and acceptance of even understanding this issue in our society. It makes me feel like we are hitting our heads against the wall. Everyday I fight this challenge with tears in my eyes that how do I make people understand how inhumane these detention centers are, and regardless of status issues no one deserves to be there. May God help us all in releasing the pain and sufferings of these families and children.

The Emerald Companies

If you can’t make the vigil, please visit the website of the folks who profit from the imprisonment of Suzi Hazahza and other mistreated immigrants: The Emerald Companies. It’s time we get to know them all better. Check out our preliminary roundup of internet resources on Emerald, “Getting to Know the Emerald Companies“.–gm

Follow the Money

Intrepid ally and web surfer Sarah Boone found a national report on private prison lobby money compiled by the Institute on Money in State Politics. The report for Texas begins on page 29 of this pdf.

Good mornin’ Sr. Bustamante…

This is an urgent and personal appeal. PLEASE speak with the mothers and the children in the HUTTO prison camp.

In the beginning, ICE and CCA would not allow the inside of the prison camp to be visited or viewed…not by the attorneys that visited their clients, nor by the media. We pushed to get freedom of speech and freedom of the press for those on the inside and the media. Requests from all over the country for freedom of information and for a tour of the Hutto prison camp flooded ICE and CCA. We scored for “freedom of the press” when ICE and CCA were forced to allow a media tour on February 10, after they did some superficial modifications to disguise the previous conditions. But there is still no “freedom of speech”.

The children and their mothers are not allowed to speak to the media…and the media is not allowed, but prohibited, to speak with the mothers and children. That violates the international “Rights of the Child”, even though the United States is the only country aside from Somalia that has not ratified those most basic of rights.

So…PLEASE interview the mothers and children. Privately. Confidentially.

We need to know what they think, how they feel and and what suffer in Hutto.

We need to know how they’ve been treated, what they were escaping if seeking asylum.

We need to know from what countries they come.

We need to know if there has been translators to convey their thought, feelings, circumstances.

We need to know if they are able to communicate their needs to the prison guards and to our government.

We need to know if they need help, counseling, medical care.

We have been told that some mothers have given birth in the Hutto prison camp. Why was that? Was their adequate medical care for the delivery? We’ve been told that some women have been taken to a hospital in Round Rock, blind-folded and cuffed. If that is true…why? We have been told that once in the hospital that the women are cuffed to the beds while exams are being done. It that is so…why?

We the people of the United States, who are endeavoring to free these victims, are shocked that our country would commit this atrocity against the most innocent and helpless of our human family. We need help to help them. Our government is very secret about who is there, where they are from and what their circumstances and conditions are. Please help us get freedom of speech, press and freedom of information.

As we spoke yesterday, we will be holding Hutto Vigil VIII in front of the Hutto prison camp in concert with your visit on May 7th. This will be the eighth vigil since the beginning of our fight for the “liberty and justice for all” of members of our human family that are imprisoned in the Hutto prison camp.

Hasta el Lunes…

Jay

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NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND BARS
FREE the CHILDREN
jay@villadelrio.com
(830)768-0768