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My brother Amine has been detained since June 2008. It has been 16 months since he walked as a free man. He immigrated to the U.S in 1990,with my family, he was just two years old. He's grown up in the U.S, its the only country he knows. English is the only language he speaks. It was not his choice to move here at 2 years old. However, he is being brutally punished for immigrating here at the age of two. He's lost 16 months of his life, because he came here at the age of two. His detention could have been avoided (however indefinite detention should never happen, its torture) if the Dream Act was passed. The letter below is written proof of Amines experience in jail. We are urgently asking you to send it to the state representative and ask them to start working on the Dream Act and end detention, because to be locked up indefinitely for NOT committing a crime is torture
I am urgently requesting your intervention
Dear Representative
I am 22 years old and have resided in the United states since the age of two. I have graduated high school in the state of Massachusetts, was attending a college, and aspired to peruse law school. I also had full time employment as a sales manager with the comcast cable company.
I have been extrajudicial detained by the Department of homeland security (DHS) since July 10, 2008. I am not charged with any criminal sentence. My family, both of my parents, my sisters Aicha, Nabila, and Farrah and my fiance Aline whom I was to marry this summer, are dependent on my support physically, emotionally and financially. Due to my prolonged unlawful detention this has caused a major strain on my family. To remain in contact with them, my family has had to pay over $5,000 in outrageously priced prison phone bills. Since no free legal counsel is available, my family had to hire two private lawyers to represent me, for the cost of $10,000 plus. The food provided here by the Plymouth County Correctional Facility (PCCF) is extremely insufficient,both in quality and quantity,causing upset stomach, nausea and malnutrition. Therefore, I had to purchase food from the prison canteen system that is grossly overpriced and consists only of junk food. Due to extreme hunger, I have been forced to purchase this food and have spent over $3,000 in the past year, putting even further financial strain on my family. My family and I are now on the brink of bankruptcy. Furthermore, the PCCF refuses to allow my own mother and my own sister to visit me. No clean drinking water is available; light brown tinted water comes from the rusted pipes ad causes various skin rashes and infections. The shower is infested with mold and other growing organisms of various shades and colors. I am forced to sleep on a steel platform in a bathroom, next to a toilet, with another man, with poor ventilation, locked in behind steel doors.
The counsel for the DHS Mary Kelly has been subjecting me to indefinite detention and abuse. I was arrested and detained for a presumed altercation in the late night celebrations of the Boston Celtics championships parade. The DHS adopted this as a basis for my indefinite detention, even though this case was dismissed. Mary Kelly has been repeatedly requesting and receiving an extension after extension after extension because there is no legal basis for my continued detention. Otherwise, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) would have ordered me released a long time ago. Miss Kelly has also threatened my family with an imprisonment and deportation. On numerous occasions she has been lying in the immigration court and provided perjurious testimonies on behalf of the DHS.
The PCCF has been refusing to provide any medical care or medications to me. I have been suffering from an injured knee for the past 6 months and the PCCF medical department has, after I put in many medical requests, yet to see me.
I have been violated mentally and physically. I have been stripped naked and ordered to bend over and assume embarrassing positions several times a month. I have witnessed extreme brutality and violence, perpetrated both by the PCCF correctional officers and criminals. One immigration detainee was beaten so severely and left laying unconscious in his own pool of blood after being stomped and kicked in his head. He now remains partially blind in one eye. Another man was repeatedly cut with a razor blade on his face and neck. He is now scared for his life.
I fear for my life and safety everyday. I am urgently requesting your intervention and assistance as there is nobody able or willing to help. Please feel free to share this with any other legal or human rights organizations or media worldwide.
Sincerely,
Mohamed Amine Hamada.
[Your name]