Detention, arrests & risks
The risks of detention are weighing heavy on my mind today. As you may have heard, there are more people being detained on our Southern border and the Trump Administration is making it harder for individuals to be released, instituting a new policy about separating children from their parents in detention, and criminalizing those who come to the U.S. border for protection. But, the risks of detention are much more than even family separation.
This past week, in Missouri, a young couple was pulled over on a traffic stop. The couple and their child were taken into custody. The female is pregnant — and not just pregnant, but a high-risk pregnancy. She is still sitting in jail, because of an immigration order. Another young man returned to the U.S. border after being deported. He was detained in Harlingen for over a week and ended up dead in detention — with no explanation.
The risks involved with arrest and detention by ICE and Border Patrol are high — and yet, people still come, because to some, the risk of harm staying in their home countries is higher than the risks of detention in the U.S.
Weighing heavy on my mind. I took a risk on May 21st with the Poor People's Campaign — a national movement started by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. before his death and re-started all across the nation on May 14th. On May 21st, the Poor People's Campaign in Missouri was focusing on the systemic racism that is part of our Immigration law. This is important to me, and so I joined the campaign and with many others, we did Civil Disobedience and risked arrest - really to make a statement and draw attention to the dire conditions in our immigration system.
My risks were minimal, compared to what my clients go through. I lost a day of work — and didn't even get thrown in jail. I was cited (got a ticket), in front of the State Capitol building as we shut down traffic and demanded justice for all, including immigrants and poor people and workers and women and children, etc. I may have to pay a fine. I won't lose my license to practice law, and I sure won't lose my life in jail or have to go through the horror of being pregnant in jail and not receive proper treatment. One thing I know for sure: I am speaking out for immigrants who need my help, and it is worth the risk.
If you would like information on joining me in the Poor People's Campaign, check Facebook for activities in Kansas and Missouri, and throughout the U.S.
