We are working hard to get a mentor program accredited, so the 90+ members can benefit from this and earn credits under the First Step Act. Talks are well under way and all that is required now, is the final protocol and signatures.
There is so much going on with the new administration, it is very hard to keep track of all Executive Orders.
Many incarcerated Immigrants, including myself, wonder what is going to happen and we so wish for clarity so we know what to expect. Immigration lawyers, prison staff and others do not seem to have the answer to the many questions and “inmate.com” (the informal rumours circuit) is more active than Instagram, it seems…:)
Out of unclarity, sprouts misinformation. This past week alone, I have had to put many fellow immigrants at ease and tell them that they need to get hold of their counsel, await further clarification, because the fear of being grabbed and put at the border, is very real. There are many who have a semi-legal status to reside in the US, they have their entire livelihood in the US, very often cannot return to their home country, so it is more than natural that they are extremely worried.
What if they go back to their country and get kidnapped or worse even get killed. Many immigrants had to flee their countries because of real fear for their lives. Every story is different and should be evaluated as such.
Is mass deportation madness just as mass incarceration is?
We have to remember that we are dealing with real live people, children, families, we should never lose focus on humanity. The US is a land of immigrants and will always be such. Politicians should be very careful not to unleash the beast of xenophobia.
I come from a part of the world, where the remnants of ethnic cleansing are still tangible to this very day. Let’s not make the same mistake again.
