Learn about unlawful treatment of undocumented immigrants

Learn about unlawful treatment of undocumented immigrants

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
BY NEREIDA GUILLEN

Raids in Washtenaw County have brought about the current issue of human rights violation. Some uninformed community members ask themselves, "Is it a violation when undocumented immigrants are detained and sent back to their native country?'' Maybe not, but this is far from the reality of what is actually occurring. It is what is happening as they are being detained that should alert conscientious citizens. I'd like to address the specific question of how this becomes a violation of human rights.

Picture this. You are having dinner with your family after a long, tiring day at work, when the doorbell rings. As soon as you open your door, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent rushes into your home without any explanation and asks for your documentation. Because of language barriers, and due to the frightening circumstances, you hesitate and fail to respond as rapidly as you would wish. As you try to respond to the agent's request, they brutally beat you in front of your wife/husband, and three kids, ages 3, 5 and 7. You hear your kids yell and cry in the background as you are being beaten.

Afterward, the ICE agent decides to take you to prison due to suspicion of undocumentation and leaves you in a cell with people who are sex offenders, robbers, murderers, etc. Your crime at this point is working hard to provide a better living for your children. Now that you are in jail, your kids and spouse are left without a mom or dad, and the question of who will feed them and provide shelter for them thunders in your head. Those questions run through your head as you stare at the wall of a prison cell where you are forbidden any type of rights. Your family is now left alone and, traumatized by the incident, wonder if they will ever see you again. Now, ask yourself, "Can this be a violation of human rights?''