Editor’s note to the Kopits and other good families who stood outside Hutto prison during the three vigils of the past six weeks. You did it. You made history!–gm
The Kopit family of Taylor, TX say no at Vigil III, Jan. 25, 2007. In the background, A.J. Montrose and musicians. (Photo by Jay J. Johnson-Castro)
Email from John Wheat Gibson, Esq.
“Amazing Grace”
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2007 16:06:13 -0600
Muchachos y muchachas,
The Board of Immigration Appeals today granted my motion to reopen the Ibrahim family’s asylum case, and send it back for the immigration judge to consider their asylum claims again. Now there is no excuse for the Gestapo to keep the children in prison any longer.
I don’t know how much effect the hard work of Jay Johnson, Greg Moses, Brett Shipp and others may have had on the BIA decision, but I am mighty grateful for it.
John Wheat Gibson
************
Email from Johsua E. Bardavid, Esq.</em
[Fri, 02 Feb 2007 21:03:54 -0500]
Hi Greg:
Incredible news. The Board of Immigration Appeals by miracle decided to reopen the claim for asylum by the Ibrahim family.
Mr. John Wheat Gibson, the attorney who had represented the Ibrahim’s in the claim for political asylum had filed a motion to reopen to the Board of Immigration Appeals back in November. This motion asserted that the conditions in the Occupied Territories had changed such that it warranted the granting of asylum to the Ibrahims, notwithstanding the prior ruling of the immigration judge. It had been pending since then, and one now the Board decided to grant the motion.
I have never heard of the Board granting such a motion for Palestinian asylum seekers before,
even though many people have tried.
I believe that the pressure put on the government by the actions filed in the federal courts, the media attention (including your work in documenting this case), and good work and thorough preparation of Mr. Gibson in his motion on behalf of the Ibrahims resulted in this outcome.
In short, we believe the Ibrahims will be released from detention within a few weeks, and hopefully, their
asylum application will be resolved by an immigration judge in the next few months. The Board’s decision means that, right now, *the Ibrahims are no longer subject to an order of removal*. This is the best news that we could have hoped for.
Take care and thanks for your help.
Josh
A month and a half after receiving its first tip on the Palestinian families jailed at the T. Don Hutto prison in Taylor, Texas, the Austin American-Statesman today followed the Dallas Morning News example by publishing news of the Ibrahim family’s abduction. And at long last, a headline about the story appears in Harvey Kronberg’s Quorum Report under “news clips you need to see.”
What made the story impossible to ignore any longer was the filing of a Habeas Corpus motion in an Austin federal court. New York attorney Joshua Bardavid flew in and out of Austin Thursday to file the motion in behalf of pregnant mother Hanan Ibrahim and her four children, who have been jailed at Hutto since their arrest November 2.
And what made the involvement of attorney Bardavid possible was the support of Rita Zawaideh of the Arab American Community Coalition of Washington State and Dallas real-estate developer Ralph Isenberg.
There are two other families of Palestinian heritage at Hutto, along with an unknown number of children from other families detained by immigration authorities.
Activist attention to the prison is expected to continue with a fourth vigil on Feb. 12. Meanwhile, there is reason to be optimistic that the unlawful jailing of the Ibrahim family may soon come to an end.–gm
We received via email from the Office of General Counsel at the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board the results of a statewide survey of proposed admissions
policies. We’re not sure what it means yet, but you can help us decide.
Go to
Downloads to get the documents for yourself.
MoPress 