Category: Uncategorized

In addition to the Ibrahim and Suleiman families, we present below information about seven members of the Hazahza family, who were also abducted in a dawn raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The account is taken from a slightly edited letter of appeal to ICE officials, written on Nov. 27 by Reza Barkhordari of Plano. We have only deleted for the time being the circumstances of the September killing of the family’s 16-year-old son, pending documentation and verification. The family is now represented by Dallas attorney Michelle L. Saenz-Rodriguez.–gm

The following members of a family from Irving, Texas were detained by US Immigration, Dallas Field
Office at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, November 2nd.

1. Nazmieh Juma (Mother)
2. Radi Hazahza (Father)
3. Suzan Hazahza (Daughter, 19)
4. Mirvat Hazahza (Daughter, 23)
5. Mohammad Hazahza (Son, 11)
6. Hisham Hazahza (Son, 23)
7. Ahmad Hazahza (Son, 17)
The father of the family, Radi Hazahza, is originally from Palestine and worked in Jordan and Palestine as a
respected bank manager for many years. The family lived in Jordan for a long time before they moved to
Palestine.

They were initially granted entry into the United States on a visitor’s visa. At the completion of the
visa term they applied for asylum from the US government as their life had been threatened by the existing
violence and various life threats in those territories on multiple occasions.

The case was initially turned down largely for their counsel’s incompetence, and they appealed the case. The appeal was again handled in an unprofessional manner by their next Immigration attorney, who filed their petitions 90 days after the due date–papers which had been already provided to her previously along with the appropriate filling fees. In a formal letter to the INS Court of Appeals, she has officially addressed this issue and admitted to her shortcoming in their case, but the petition for asylum was rejected nevertheless.

Five of the seven family members have been transferred to the Haskell Jail, Immigration Detention Facility at 507 S 2nd St., Haskell, TX 79521.

The mother, Nazmieh Juma, and her 11-year-old son are being detained at the T. Don Hutto jail in Taylor, TX.

It breaks our hearts to see that such a hard-working family which is only trying to seek peace here in our
country is facing more difficulties than they have ever before when they fled here to escape this kind of
intimidation and violence in their own homeland.

Just like everyone else, they were also trying to integrate into the society with respect and dignity and to take advantage of the opportunities that our country has to offer for a better living standard. I wish we could do more to display our hospitality to those who are running away from the evils of their worlds and are seeking refuge in us.

Please do note the following facts and conditions with regards to the family concerning their case:

1. The family is currently undergoing extreme emotional difficulties due to the loss of their loved one.
The parents are still grieving the loss of their 16-year-old son (who was killed in September) and visit the cemetery at least once a week as a form of emotional release. I assume anyone with family could relate to the unbearable pain associated with this kind of tragedy.

2. The younger daughter, Suzan Hazahza, also engaged to a US citizen (the author of this account, Reza Barkhordari) for over a year now was also detained with the rest of the family. She was forced to temporarily withdraw from attending Northlake College to care for her mother after the family tragedy due to her mother’s emotional instability. Suzan is a daughter that most of us Americans would dream of having with a fully clean and clear criminal record. She does not even have a traffic violation.

3. The older daughter, Mirvat Hazahza, is officially and legally married to a US citizen as of two
months ago. She is a perfect model citizen with a clean criminal history, getting through college as
an honor student while making great financial contributions to her family and taking care of them.
The worst thing on her record maybe a traffic ticket, if any.

4. The mother, Nazmieh Juma, is on anti-depressant medication due to the high levels of stress and
extreme depression she is experiencing for the loss of her son. She is not mentally prepared to
undergo this type of additional mental stress. We are very concerned about her health, as it is very
important that she stays on schedule with respect to her prescriptions. She is not properly eating due to her depression and her dietary needs. Since she does not respond well to processed and prepared foods, she is basically living on lettuce, which is a cause of real worry for us.

5. Radi Hazahza, the father, is 60 and in a very bad mental condition fearing the life of his family
members if deported back to Palestine.

6. Ahmad Hazahza is a high-school student at McArthur High School in Irving, which he has been
unable to attend. As a juvenile in the adult jail at Haskell, he is being held in solitary confinement, which is causing him to be depressed. As a result of his extreme distress, he urinated blood for ten days prior to being attended by a physician.

[Note: the following information is found posted in a press release from ICE about the November roundup of “21 criminal aliens” in “Operation Return to Sender”: Ahmed Hazahza, 18 (editor’s note: Ahmad was 17 years old at the time of his arrest and incarceration by ICE), Palestinian, born in Jordan, was arrested in Irving, Texas on Nov. 02 on an outstanding order for deportation. Hazahza was convicted as an adult for three burglaries for which he received a 10-year probated sentence.]

7. Mohammad Hazahza was attending Sam Houston Middle School in Irving until detained by
Immigration.

The Immigration Deportation Officer in charge of their case is Mr. Calvin Meredith in the Dallas Field Office, Tel: (214) 905-5880.

This family has been through so much hardship that would not be bearable by most. In my heart of hearts I
know that they deserve much better than being detained under such conditions and being treated as
criminals.

Your kind and urgent attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,

Reza Barkhordari
Plano, TX

Teye & Belen Flamenco Gypsy Candlelight Christmas Eve Vigil for the Incarcerated Children [T. Don Hutto Jail, Taylor, Texas]

What initially seemed the most unlikely way to enjoy Christmas eve turned into one of the most beautiful and moving season celebrations I have ever
experienced.

Yes, it was raining, and it was cold. Cold and wet to break out a quality flamenco guitar and play it. Cold to do a performance out in the open air. We
were forced to improvise a makeshift construction to huddle under: consisting of our suburban, our lightshow stand, a microphone stand, a tarp and some
bungee cords, and in the end, with all the candles, it almost resembled a nativity scene.
Initially there were only a few of us, but as the hour of the vigil went by, more and more people came, local people but also those who drove in from Dallas, McAllen, Houston, Del Rio. (For those not familiar with either the vastness of Texas or its speed limits, we are talking three, four, even seven hours of driving in bad weather!)

People of all ages held a candle, huddled under the improvised canopy or held umbrellas, and we enjoyed the closeness that comes from a common cause.

What was our cause? We were there to protest the incarceration in concrete prison cells, in prison uniforms, of CHILDREN, in a for-profit prison,
with our tax money ($ 95 per detainee per day, that amounts to more than two million dollars a month for this prison alone), right here in the USA, self-proclaimed most special of all countries on earth.

We were here to provide a ray of hope to those inside the prison (for although our initial offer to the prison
of a free Flamenco performance for the detainees and staff went unanswered and we were forced to do it on the street, rumor of such a gathering will surely
find its way into the cells!) and to let them know that there are many Americans who care and will put an end to this.

We were here so that these facts may be broadcast
around the world via the internet, and that eventually the mainstream media will have to pick up on it and that by national and international outrage these
practices will stop. News has traveled fast on the Flamenco internet community and has cast a wider net from there.

While organizing this Vigil, we’ve come upon NEW AND DISTURBING FACTS (thanks Jay Johnson, for the research):

–The prison took it out on the detainees: it has taken away recreational privileges as a direct result of last weeks’ march and vigil. You may ask, why go ahead with the Christmas Vigil? According to a lady who is in touch with those inside, the detainees much preferred their privileges on hold over the feeling of total isolation that they had experienced before.

–The phenomenon of putting children in concrete cells is spreading like an ugly cancer. People who reacted to the Flamenco Newsletters that we sent out all
over the world have informed us that the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Australia, are now all doing it. Some further research quickly revealed that the
prisons in those countries are all built and run by… THE SAME CORPORATIONS AS THOSE WHO RUN THEM IN THE USA. Globalization at its finest.

–These are For-Profit-Prisons indeed: the ONLY way for the detainees to contact anyone on the outside is by means of telephone. And while the actual cost of a phone call is known to us all, the detainees’ only way of calling out is by purchasing a $ 20 PHONE CARD, good for 20 MINUTES. First, this makes it impossible for those who do not have $ 20 to call outside, second, for someone who may not speak the local language, 20 minutes is nothing, third, the corporation makes additional profit by selling 20 minutes for 20
dollars.

–Initially, the number of detainees in the prison in Taylor was given as 400, half of whom are children. It turns out however that at the time of writing, this prison is filled over capacity: more than 650 detainees
are inside, over half of whom are children.

Please let it sink in: 350 CHILDREN IN CONCRETE PRISON CELLS AT CHRISTMAS 2006, IN THE USA, 35 MILES FROM THE CAPITOL OF TEXAS. Merry Christmas.

–Supposedly the children and their mothers are in the concrete cells so that the families may be together (according to the official statement). How to explain then, that the fathers were shipped out to different prisons, in Colorado and elsewhere?

–The prison as it exists in Taylor today is in grave violation of … their own contract with Williamson County, where it states explicitly: “NO RAZOR
WIRE”. Of course, since razor wire is a cheap and secure way of preventing escape, and since this is a prison that must make profit, rolls and rolls of razor wire have been installed.

Please don’t take my word for it! Just take highway 79 North (it branches off from Interstate 35, about a dozen miles north of the State Capital of Texas, Austin) and drive into Taylor. Take a left somewhere before the railroad overpass, and you will soon gaze upon the marvel that, in Good Newspeak, is called the Don Hutto Residential Center.

Believe me, it does not look like a place where you nor your family would want to reside.

WHAT CAN YOU DO???

I am positive that you will be outraged after reading this. Regardless of what one’s feelings are on the difficult subject of immigration, NO ONE agrees to
putting children in concrete cells. So what can you do to help end this?

Nothing could be simpler. Just spread the word. This is understandingly kept low-profile. Two million dollars a month is good income, and the corporations are of course fully aware that imprisoning children will not sit well with most taxpayers, so the last thing the orporation wants is for this to be common knowledge.

And that is where YOU come in. If we ALL SPREAD THE WORD, THIS WILL STOP. Period.

Thank you very much, and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

–Teye, Austin, Dec 25, 2006

[Note: yes, we’ve already contacted our Congress Rep, have you?–gm]

Email from rita Zawaideh, Dec. 30, 2006

Start the New Year off Right, Please Help Save a Family

The Arab American Community Coalition (theaacc.org) has just learned of an entire Palestinian family – the Ibrahims – being held in jail in Texas while waiting an unjustified deportation. The Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) grabbed the family of five in a Gestapo-like raid on November 3, 2006.

The Ibrahims came to the United States legally and applied for asylum. They have been honest and forthright with immigration from the beginning. They were denied asylum and have filed to reopen their asylum case. In the meantime, the family is to be deported and is being held in jail! As an American citizen, the 2-year-old daughter was ripped from her mother’s arms and is in a foster home.
The plot thickens:

To make matters worse, as Palestinian refugees from the Occupied Palestinian Territories they have no travel documents. The US government has
attempted to obtain Jordanian passports for the family but the applications were denied. The family will have to languish another month in jail while ICE contacts the Israeli embassy. Even though Israel has no jurisdiction to issue travel documents to Palestinians to the Occupied Palestinian Territories , ICE insists on contacting Israel . In the past, Israel has issued illegal documents with ICE flying deportees into Tel Aviv and
the deportees marched across the border to the West Bank in Palestine . It is extremely dangerous for Palestinians to enter Palestine with Israeli travel
documents. The family would be marked with suspicion.

The family in jail:

The pregnant mother, Hanan Ahmad, is in one cell with her 5-year-old daughter, Fatem. The 7- and 12-year-old sisters – Maryam and Rodaina – share
another cell. The 15-year-old boy, Hamzeh, is in yet another cell at T. Don Hutto jail. The father and husband, Salaheddin Ibrahim, is being held in
another jail in Haskell , Texas . Born in the US , the youngest daughter, only 2-years-old, is living with strangers in a foster home.

The little 5-year-old girl, Faten, is constantly getting in trouble with the guards for not standing still during population counts, which are taken four times daily. Maryam, the 7-year-old cries for her mother at night.
Maryam, Rodaina and Hamzeh have missed nearly two months of school. The children miss their father, their baby sister, other family members and friends. The pregnant mother feels sick, tired and overwhelmed. The family is separated and scared not knowing what the future holds.

Not only is this a waste of our tax dollars ($95 per person per day), it is inhumane and unjust!

What can you do?

Please contact ICE Field Office Director, Marc Jeffery Moore, @ 210-967-7175 and ask him to release the family on house arrest. You can also contact U.S. Department of Homeland Security @ Operator Number: 202-282-8000 or Comment Line: 202-282-8495

If you live in Texas , please contact your Senators and State Representative and ask him or her to intercede in this tragic story.

Click on the link below to find out who represents you in the Congress.

http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/index.htm

You can either right your own letter or use sample letters attched to this email [pasted below].

Donate money.

Legal fees to save the Ibrahim family will be costly. Please send checks payable to:

“Arab American Community Coalition” Legal Defense – Ibrahim Family

to:

P.O. Box 31642 , Seattle , WA 98103 .

All donations are tax-deductible with 100% of your donation going to the Ibrahim Family. Please don’t forget to check if your organization has a matching program.

For more information:

please contact info@theaacc.org.

Also you can check the links below;

http://www.counterpunch.org/moses12282006.html

Video showing the family on local news
http://www.nbc5i.com/video/10471070/index.html

Thank you,

The Arab American Community Coalition

Sample Letter/Email

January 2007

Congressman Sam Johnson
2929 North Central Expressway, Suite 240
Richardson, TX 75080
http://www.house.gov/formsamjohnson/IMA/issue.htm

Congressman Sam Johnson,

I am urging you to take action in stopping the removal proceedings against the Salaheddin Ibrahim family and join in their petition for asylum. If the family is to be deported, I am urging you to take action in releasing the Hanan Ahmad and Salaheddin Ibrahim family of Dallas, Texas from the T. Don Hutto jail during their deportation proceedings.

The Ibrahim family, which includes Hanan Ahmad, Salaheddin Ibrahim, their 15-year-old son, Hamzeh, and their 12-, 7- and 5-year-old daughters – Rodaina, Maryam, and Fatem, is being held at the T. Don Hutto jail in Taylor, Texas while they await deportation. As a U.S. citizen, the youngest daughter of just 2-years is separated from her family and living with strangers in a foster home. Not only are the children suffering, frightened and missing their baby sister, Hanan is pregnant and feeling ill.

The family has committed no crime, are not deemed a threat to the United States or are a flight risk. The three eldest children were enrolled and attending school until their arrest November 3, 2006. The Ibrahim family has been honest and forthright with Immigration communicating with them throughout the five years that they have lived in this country.

Thank you for your support of the Ibrahim family’s humanitarian cause and in stopping their deportation from the United States and their release from jail.

Your Name
Your Full Mailing Address

cc: Senator John Cornyn
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

By Greg Moses

Speaking on his cell phone from somewhere near the border, Jay Johnson-Castro is explaining how his lone walk from Laredo to Brownsville last October, “tore down the wall before it ever got built. That wall will never be built!”

Now it is Christmas Eve, and Johnson-Castro will be driving all afternoon from Del Rio to Taylor to join a vigil outside the T. Don Hutto jail for immigrant children. He is determined to shut it down.

“Can you hold on a minute?” he asks. “There’s a checkpoint.” “Are you a citizen of the United States?” comes a voice. “Where are you going?”

After answering the questions, Johnson-Castro is waved onward.

“Unfortunately this is one of the realities of living on the border,” explains Johnson-Castro, returning to the phone. “Nowhere else in the USA do you have to prove you’re a citizen just to drive down the road.”

I tell him that I’ve been to the Rio Grande Valley before, and I’ve heard stories that the police nuisance is getting worse by the year.

“And it’s getting worse by the year, because of the way the US government is dealing with it,” rejoins Johnson-Castro.

“Before the border walk I was the go-to guy for border tourism. Heritage tourism. I was all about tourism,” he explains.

“But look how we’re being treated on the border by our state and federal governments. We have 13,000 going on 19,000 border patrol agents here along the border with Mexico, while along the border with Canada, there are fewer than 1,000.

“But US policies are part of the reason why we have an immigration problem to begin with. US companies put up factories along the border in Northern Mexico where they pay workers $75 per week for 48 hours of work. Then they close the factories and move them to Indonesia. And many of the factory workers are single moms who live under desperate conditions. We created this situation.”

Citizens north of the Mexico border have “responsibility” for people who have served as “slave labor” in factories of the South, says Johnson-Castro. “And people who imprison the migrant workers are not any different from people who supported Hitler. No different. How far does it have to go?”

“How can I be silent?” asks Johnson-Castro. “At some point they might consider me an enemy of . . . “

The cell phone enters a dead zone. The voice of Jay Johnson-Castro disappears, but he keeps a hand at the wheel, driving to a Christmas Eve vigil that will go down in history some day as the spark that shut down detention camps for desperate Southern children, whose only crime was to join a social movement in search of work further North.