Today we visited the Florence Detention Center which is about an hour and a half away from Borderlinks.
We met a detainee named Milton who spoke to us about his experience in the detention facility as well as what he went through in Ecuador. His reason for coming was to escape the violence that he was a victim of. He came with the hopes and dreams of working in the US and when we asked him what his dreams were, his answer was that he wanted to build a house for his mom with a kitchen, because she doesn’t have one back home.
This was emotional for us because our moms are very important to us and they have done all they can to provide for us and give us a good life. We could see in his face how much he missed her, and it broke our hearts when he said that he couldn’t talk to her as much as he wanted to because it was expensive to make phone calls. Sadly he has been in this detention center for over 2 years and his next court date isn’t until September.
It is sad to know that it has taken this long for him to know if he is even able to get a bond, but he wants to stay and wait out the court proceedings because he really wants to be here and be a productive member of the community. He has no prior criminal record, but he hears from others all the time that he is a criminal and a danger to society, which is frustrating because he is such a good person. Being in detention for so long without knowing exactly what is is going to happen has had a huge effect on his mental and emotional health, but he still has faith and hope, which is amazing and inspiring.
This just goes to show that people in detention facilities are honest, hardworking, and compassionate people who just want the best for themselves and their families. Even those who have done nothing but pursue a better future are treated like they are dangerous or treated like they should be ashamed of wanting a better life. It was an emotional experience, but valuable because it allows us to put a face to the issues that we’ve been talking about throughout the week.
Later that day, we spoke to an attorney with the Florence Defense Project named Valentina. She gave us some information that helped us understand how the system is working and why cases like Milton’s stay in the system for as long as they do. It’s a really complex and broken system, but people Valentina are working step by step to help people and make the system better. This gave us hope knowing that there are people out there making change and that want to do the right thing.
Overall the day was very emotionally draining but we wish that everyone could have this experience. It is easy to dehumanize people and be uncompassionate when you do not know them personally, but when people are in front of you and you can see the emotions in their face as they share their story, it tugs on your heart and makes you want to assist them in any way you can.
Written by Bibiana and Anita