Dreamer detained for 7 months in FL; protest vigil

I got this in my email through one of my listservs (or whatever those things are called):


Contact: Florida Immigrant Coalition (305) 571-7254 ext 3 or (347)
524-3374 (cell)
Email: [email protected]

Lunch Time Vigil For The Family of Sarjina Emy

When: Friday, February 22, 2008 @ noon

Where: In front of Broward Transitional Center (3900 N. Powerline Road,
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33073)

Who: Friends and Family of Sarjina Emy, Shamsul Rana and Mahbubul Rumy,
Community and Religous Leaders

What: Lunchtime Vigil for Sarjina Emy and Her Brothers

Background

Sarjina Emy is a 19 year old teenager who has been detained at the
Broward Transitional Center for over seven months. Her brothers, Shamsul
Sana and Mahbubul Rumi are also in the same detention center in Broward
County. They are fighting their deportation even though they have lived
here since they were young children. Sarjina came to this country when
she was four years old. Their parent have already been deported. The
family's lawyer Dr. Petia Knowles has a case pending in Federal Court to
keep Sarjina and her brothers here, but is asking ICE (Immigration and
Customs Enforcement) to release them to their friends and family while
their cases are pending. This vigil is to ensure that ICE knows how much
Florida cares about Sarjina's family.

Message from Sarjina Emy

"My name is Sarjina Emy, I am 19 years old and being detained by
immigration at the Broward Transitional Center. Both of my brothers are
here. My father was here before they deported him. They separated us
from our mother and put her in a different jail before they deported her
too. I have been here since I was four years old

Before all this happened to me I had a good life, good people around me,
and a good family, We never did anything to hurt anyone. But now I feel
we have lost everything. My family is torn apart. I haven’t seen my mom
in 7 months, since the day they took us and split us up. I can only see
my brothers for an hour and a half every week, even though they are in
the same facility. I spent my birthday and every holiday in jail
(Broward Transitional Center). I try to do what ever I can to keep it
together here. In the morning I teach yoga, aerobics, and exercise to
the other girls here. I get a long with everyone, even some of the
officials. They sometime nickname me “Trouble” because I always stand up
for my self. But I swear I am struggling… mentally, physically, and
emotionally…every which way.

When I graduated from high school I was 17. I though I would get an
early start. I wanted to be a doctor. Now I just want to be free.
Sometime I feel like there is no such thing as justice. They took
everything from us…my brother won’t even be able to see his first child
be born. For what??? Because my parents brought here when I was 4
years-old.

Any support would help. Put the word out…make phone calls. There are so
many people here like me. So many families…so many girls that have been
here their whole lives and are being sent back to countries they don’t
even know. We just want to be heard. It is so hard to take it here. It
feels like noone can hear us or feel what we are feeling. Please,
everyone…do what you can to help"

We need to do something.

If you are willing to devote at least 20mins a day for the next week or so for something then please send an email to [email protected] (please include your DAP username)

You'll get a detailed response by Monday.

Just remember what you'd want other to do if you were in this kids position!

There's a lot of gaps I would like to fill in regarding this story...

Does ICE really have the power to confine immigrants in such a place for over seven months? I'd figure that something really wrong must have occurred to deter her that long... anyone know how to look into this?

Yes, they do have the power to do that. I believe I've seen statistics that there are thousands of immigrants in detention currently that have been there for more than 12 months.

As for more info, that's all the email said, but the contact number and email are at the top.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=7897334247

what do you know finally after seven months an article is posted!

Friends rally for Bangladeshi woman facing deportation

for real. here's more info from the mailing list/;

Vigil Held At Broward Detention Center For Three Detained Young People
Contact: Subhash Kateel, Florida Immigrant Coalition (305) 571-7254,
(347) 524 3374 (cel)

Friends and supporters of a family in immigrant detention held an
afternoon vigil at Broward Transitional Center in Deerfield Beach
today, where the three young people are being held by ICE (Immigration
and Customs Enforcement). Church leaders, Students, and friends of the
family all asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release
them while their case is pending.

Sarjina Emy (19) and her brothers Shamsul Rana and Mahbubul Rumy have
been held in Broward Transitional Center for the past 7 months. Their
problems started when ICE agents detained the family at their home in
late march. Their parents have already been deported, based on an old
order of deportation. The family had applied for political asylum
after coming here from 1991 to 1993. In that time they were victims
of bad luck and worse lawyers, one of whom was disbarred. Emy, Sam,
and Rumy came here when they where 4, 13, and 11 respectively.

There is currently a Petition For Review in Federal Court to decide
their fate, but ICE is choosing to detain them while it is pending.
The family's lawyer recently filed an unanswered Request for Parole to
ICE asking them to release the family. Their release is now in the
hands of ICE Field Office Director Michael Rozos, and ICE Supervisory
Deportation Officer Neil Acri. Supporters of the family have asked
the offices of US Senator Bill Nelson, and US Congressmen Tom Feeney
and Ric Keller to support the family's Request For Parole to ICE. All
three have agreed to look into the matter.

"The whole family was such wonderful hospitable people," said Lauren
Rivera, a former high school friend of Emy from Timber Creek High
School in Orlando. "They don't deserve to be treated like this. They
came here as children. They are just as American as I am, with hopes
and dreams just like me. Why are they [ICE] doing this to people that
meant so much to us. Release them so they can be with us."

The family's lawyer, Petia Knowles Esq. said, "I find it hard to
believe that this is happening in the United States of America."
"They don't have to lock this family up." Maria Rodriguez, director of
the Florida Immigrant Coalition, added. "They can use those resources
for dozens of other reasons."

Since their detention, Rumy is expecting his first child with his wife
Solange, a US Citizen. Sam's wife, Munmun, a Legal Resident soon to
become a citizen, has lost her home because she could no longer afford
to live there due to her husband's detention. She was unable to make
it to the vigil because she works virtually every day.

Prayers where led by Hugo MacDonald a Minister at the Alpha and Omega
Tabernacle church, whose wife, Queila knew the family since
childhood. Jose Marantes of Students Working For Equal Rights stated,
"The biggest crime is to hold back the dreams of young people. It is
a shame that Emy, Sam and Rumy who did nothing wrong are in this
situation."

New Statement from Sarjina Emy:

"Thank you all for your support and your prayers. There are so many
times I feel like giving up and it's your support that keeps me
going. Now I just want justice for my family. We have lost
everything, and our family has already been torn apart. I feel like
everything has been taken away from us. My brother won't be able to
see first child born, my other brother has lost his house. We are
losing the family business my father put so much energy into. My
sister-in-law is outside working herself to death just to survive.
Me, I am 19 years old, and I feel like my life is flying by inside
here. The only thing that keeps me going inside this detention center
is the exercise classes I teach, and the prayers from all my friends
inside.

To Michael Rozos and Neil Acri, the ICE people that have the power to
release me, I have a question. Everything has been taken from me and
my brothers, what more do you want. Why can't you release me and m
brothers until our cases are finished. Put yourself in my position,
what would you do if you found out your 19-year-old daughter was being
detained for 7 or 8 months for your choices and your decisions. What
would you do? I came here when I was four years old. It wasn't my
choice to come, but I made friends along the way. Now I am being
punished for something I have no control over. I feel like I don't
have much more to say. Thank you all for being there for me, and
praying for me, and supporting me. Hopefully I will be able to see
you outside soon."

Statement from Munmun Akhtar, wife of Shamsul Rana (Sam), 23:

"All that I can say is I really want my family back. I have no
support here. I didn't work before. My husband was the one that
supported me. Since my husband has been detained I have been really
sad and depressed. I can't sleep. I wake up in the middle of the
night with bad panic attacks. I even had to go to the hospital and
even saw a psychiatrist. I have to take sleeping pills to sleep. I
work every day to support myself. Last month, we lost our home
because we couldn't afford it. I feel like we have been left with
nothing. I really hope my husband can come back home. I really wish
we can all be a family again. "