Undocumented immigrants living in detention centers have always been afraid of getting forgotten. ICE does well in that isolation, with cold floors of cell blocks and walls with no windows for sunlight to pierce through to force those immigrants into agreeing to early voluntary deportations. Confronting a relative, neighbor or friend in those kinds of dehumanizing situations can be difficult. It is more difficult when there is only a thin line between one becoming an undocumented visitor and a future detainee. It is a mental state that allies may never experience.
The conditions in detention centers such as Orange County’s Theo Lacy Facility are almost not distinguishable from a jail. Only, a prison may do a better job of maintaining inmates’ connections with the world outside. Staff make undocumented detainees endure physical and mental abuse. An example is Honduran Felix Alvarado’s claim that an American deputy banged his head up against the wall at OC’s Theo Lacy Facility. Threats of solitary confinement, sexual violence, and just getting locked away all accompany that of savage force. Mental health issues like bipolar disorder and depression only cause things to be more unbearable for undocumented detainees.
Anyhow, another formidable force is hope. Knowing that people beyond the walls lead movements that gain strength in spite of constant surveillance, possibly makes the detainees want to live more. The recent protest in San Diego against the Operation Streamline program that echoed across California, signified a new phase for the so-called Abolish ICE movement.
Allies recommend going to the detainees and letting them know about the continuing fight for their liberation. Allies also suggest telling the detainees that they are not in a forgotten state, and their daily conditions keep being felt in all efforts from those who advocate for pro-immigrant entitlements. The conversation need not even be revolutionary, as some would regard it as. Talk to those immigrants regarding your day, suddenly discuss new subjects, and joke about. Anything informal that avoids reminding the detainees of their condition can be not only beneficial but also healthy, albeit it perhaps does not appear to register.
This can be a dangerous situation, though, for those undocumented people to put themselves in. Therefore, Orange County Immigrant Youth United (OCIYU) communicates with allies to make the latter engaged in visiting the detainees. Allies are not at risk of getting restrained at places like Theo Lacy. With those visits, they can understand more regarding what undocumented individuals experience as well as what needs to be stopped and upended at an individual level.
Allies aim to walk through the walls that separate people, thus bringing those down.
