From Persecution to Prison - Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of ...

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times, but government officials continue to find them, she said. Shereports that government officials told her father to tell her she shouldcome home, that she has betrayed her country.Shackling and Being Treated Like a CriminalThose fortunate enough to articulate their experience of persecution or adesire for asylum, often ended up in chains or otherwise being treated likea criminal. Many reported being shouted at, called liars or generallytreated poorly by the INS officers interviewing them or those handlingthem. One 15-year-old on her way to be reunited with her mother inCanada, walked off a plane in New York and was handcuffed and confrontedby a screaming INS officer.When the woman came she said I was lying. She was yelling at me and Ididn’t understand a lot of what she was saying, but I understood whenshe said I was lying.After an airport interview with immigration officers, another participant,who later was granted asylum, was told, “You’re lying. That’s not areason for staying in America and getting a green card.”The indignity and trauma continued with a strip search, which hebelieved was unnecessary since he was not charged with drug smuggling.One asylum seeker, who was imprisoned in his native country becauseof political affiliations and who had been subjected to beatings and severeburning, reported that after arrival in the US he was strip-searched, shackledto a chair for 10 hours and not told where he was going before beingtaken to an INS detention facility in New York City.In my country what we hear about America is that it’s number one inhuman rights…But to my surprise I found myself in handcuffs, going toprison.Another asylum seeker, who was imprisoned in his native country forpeaceful political activities and had endured beatings and severe malnourishment,described his treatment upon arrival as follows:I was held in handcuffs and shackles which were very tight. I told himthey were too tight and they said no, no, no, it’s not too tight. Walkingto the bathroom was difficult. For about 2 weeks afterward my wristscontinued to hurt me. They treated me like a criminal – criminals arehandcuffed. I’m not a criminal. I came to ask for asylum.At the airport, the combination of no rights explanation and beingtaken off in handcuffs produced a sense of futility for another asylumseeker.I thought I was being deported when they sent me here [to detention].When I arrived here, I thought it wasn’t worth it to apply for asylum,ARRIVAL IN THE UNITED STATES 145
Case #5 (CR): “Begging for Mercy”CR’s participation in democracy protests in his country led to imprisonment,torture and gunshot wounds. In prison, CR was beaten, suspendedby his arms, and held in solitary confinement in small darkcells. Members of his family were killed. At one demonstration, CRsuffered two gunshot wounds when police fired into the crowd. Onebullet remained in his body, untreated and painful throughout hisflight and 2 1 ⁄2 years in INS detention.After fleeing to the US, CR was strip-searched at the airport andhandcuffed for the entire 48 hours there. His right to apply for asylumwas never explained to him.When CR was interviewed by INS officers he didn’t trust the interpreter,who was an employee of the national airline of the countryfrom which he was fleeing. CR was asked to sign a paper given him bythe INS.I made a statement that they wrote down, and they asked me to signit. I said I could not… I could read a little English and I knew whatthey wrote was wrong. They put handcuffs on me. A big man camein while I was handcuffed from behind and told me to sign. Hephysically forced me to make fingerprints from behind… Whenthey forced my hand, my head knocked on the door handle and cutmy head. It was bleeding a lot. They put a bandage on.INS officials then tried to carry him onto a plane back to Africa.When I saw the plane, I cry to the INS officer, if they send me backthey will kill me. The INS officer said, ‘You have to go back!’ So Icry - I say, ‘I prefer to die here.’… I held on to the steps near theentrance of the terminal of the plane, so they took me on top ofthem. There were 4. I moved and fell down and hurt my shoulder.So then they took me back. After this struggle, another officerallowed CR to explain why he couldn’t return. He was subsequentlytransported to an INS jail.CR suffered from numerous psychological symptoms, includingnervousness, sleeplessness and nightmares. These symptoms started inhis country, but significantly worsened during detention in the US.When I lay down, I calm my head and try not to think about things,but I can’t help it… Every night I dream I am in the hands of theauthorities in my country. Sometimes I dream they captured mygirlfriend and she is tortured.146 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
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From Persecution to Prison:The Heal
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CONTENTSAcknowledgements . . . . .
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The Bellevue/NYU Program for Surviv
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don, Miranda Ip, and Meriam Alrashi
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Significant symptoms of depression
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Detained asylum seekers participati
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persecution, yet most emphasized ho
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In many facilities, the response to
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years in detention, she finally got
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abuse For example, while being take
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They didn’t let me use the phone
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intensely personal events they had
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Limitations of this study include t
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Non-governmental organizations serv
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22 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
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the late 1990s ranging from 10 to 7
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Historical BackgroundFor most of th
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international standards with the 19
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apply for asylum make up the majori
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tion judge. 57 Yet in many parts of
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York and Newark, New Jersey has had
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trict began denying parole to them
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Correctional Facility in 2000. “[
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men of which 750 were detained on i
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from that same country from seeking
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Detention Facilities in this StudyF
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high reliability in numerous langua
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York County Prison in York Pennsylv
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TABLE 2:Demographic Characteristics
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TABLE 4:Prevalence of Pre-Migration
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on a part time basis, researchers w
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Case #1(DK): “Loneliness and Fear
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TABLE 6:Hopkins Symptom Checklist-2
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TABLE 8:Harvard Trauma Questionnair
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think such services were available.
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When I am talking to you now it is
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After being granted asylum and rele
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“Being here is like going through
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In my country even though I became
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how long they were there - six mont
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Thoughts of SuicideSeveral asylum s
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here?’ I told the doctor, they br
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Another subject reported a positive
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substantial distance from their att
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eported that her experience in dete
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e somatic manifestations of the psy
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Case #2 (JG): “Health Care in Cha
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TABLE 11:Detainee Perceptions of He
Page 103 and 104: TABLE 13:Availability and Quality o
Page 105 and 106: detainees, or because they did not
Page 107 and 108: Difficulty Obtaining Specialized Ca
Page 109 and 110: Another detained asylum seeker repo
Page 111 and 112: One detainee who speaks French and
Page 113 and 114: 104 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
Page 115 and 116: Detention Facilities in this StudyS
Page 117 and 118: even though many reported having ex
Page 119 and 120: CASE #3 (HN): “SOLITARY CONFINEME
Page 121 and 122: Here, I’m scared. In [the detenti
Page 123 and 124: emote control and watch what he wan
Page 125 and 126: Whenever someone misbehaves, they t
Page 127 and 128: This subject was himself threatened
Page 129 and 130: One detainee reported several incid
Page 131 and 132: Some Process Exists to Respond to R
Page 133 and 134: There were no witnesses other than
Page 135 and 136: tion. An INS officer said they put
Page 137 and 138: There is an Anglican minister who c
Page 139 and 140: The dentists didn’t explain anyth
Page 141 and 142: tion between dental age and chronol
Page 143 and 144: Case #4 (LK): “Fifteen-Year-Old G
Page 147 and 148: TABLE 16:Treatment/Abuses Reported
Page 149 and 150: “There is no political asylum her
Page 151 and 152: I was crying. I was so afraid with
Page 153: save her life, but was not able to
Page 157 and 158: ehind and told me to sign. He physi
Page 159 and 160: days and it is now 2 years and four
Page 161 and 162: viewers asked for additional inform
Page 163 and 164: y study participants. In evaluating
Page 165 and 166: trast, under US law, detention of s
Page 167 and 168: nation for an asylum determination
Page 169 and 170: very negative effects of detention
Page 171 and 172: authority to grant asylum and with
Page 173 and 174: absconding.” 250 Since the passag
Page 175 and 176: said “[F]reedom from imprisonment
Page 177 and 178: Standards relevant to this study ar
Page 179 and 180: “detained person” generally as
Page 181 and 182: which they are charged and a fair h
Page 183 and 184: esponse to substantial public press
Page 185 and 186: specified procedures, provided they
Page 187 and 188: PunishmentThe Detention Standard on
Page 189 and 190: any time the detainee complains.”
Page 193 and 194: while in detention, thus adding to
Page 195 and 196: Establish a Uniform National Parole
Page 197 and 198: that effect. These officers should
Page 199 and 200: Besides their inaccuracy, these exa
Page 201 and 202: friends so asylum seekers can maint
Page 203 and 204: appropriate staffing of such groups
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efugees and asylum seekers who win
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of thorough documentation. However,
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Human development is complex and di
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18. Country from which fleeing pers
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9. Being close to death.10. Forced
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Complete for each health problem:5.
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Explain:(Interviewer: Write brief n
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2. Depression SymptomsA How much we
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B. You said that you have experienc
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Explain:13. How was your physical h
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Yes ...........1No............22. W
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Explain:20. At the time of your arr
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