Frequently asked questions:
What is immigration detention?
Who are these people you're helping?
What do you do for them and what kind of help do you need?
How are people chosen and referred to you to receive hospitality?
When and how often does this happen?
Who are you and why do you do this?
What things are important for me to remember as I interact with the immigrant?
What is immigration detention?
Those without US citizenship, even green card holders, may be deported from the US under certain circumstances. In most cases, deportation requires a judge’s order. Deportation hearings take place in immigration courts, where immigrants do not have the same protections afforded to criminal defendants. A lawyer is not provided by the government, even if a person is unable to understand or participate in legal proceedings, and impartial determinations of mental capacity are unavailable. [1]
Immigration detention is where those held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) await the outcome of their immigration case - a wait that may range from a week to a few years. In Arizona, the adult detention centers are in Florence and Eloy. Strict immigration laws passed in 1996 implemented mandatory detention for most people caught arriving in the US without valid permission to enter. Any non-citizen accused of being deportable or under a deportation order may be held until the case is decided. As a result, immigration detainees are today the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population in this country. Between 2005 and 2009, ICE increased the number of detention beds by 78%. Detention centers differ from jail or prison in that those held in detention are not there because of criminal actions. Many have no criminal history at all, yet the conditions and treatment of the detained appears very similar to those incarcerated for acts of crime.
A person's time in a detention facility usually ends with deportation, or in a few cases, with release and asylum or some other kind of temporary status. If they are released in Arizona and they have nobody to pick them up, they are put on a bus to either Phoenix or Tuscan. They are then left there at the bus station to figure things out on their own, often in a city that they don't know and with nothing but the clothes on their back.
Click here to listen to Maria talk about her experience in an AZ detention facility.
The video below gives an inside look at a detention center:
Who are these people you're helping?
All kinds of people - from Central America and around the world. Some may have been caught trying to cross the border. Others may have been living here for many years before being detained. Those who we provide hospitality to have often been granted asylum due to dangerous circumstances where they came from. Between 10 and 13 percent of immigrant detainees are asylum seekers or torture victims who came to the U.S. fleeing persecution and seeking safe haven. Asylum seekers when fleeing often try to avoid official detection until they reach a country where they hope to find refuge. Because many asylum seekers escape from their countries hastily, many arrive in the U.S. without adequate identification and are therefore particularly likely to find themselves subject to mandatory immigration detention while awaiting the resolution of their cases.
Many of those who we provide hospitality to have been detained as unaccompanied minors, coming to this country without a parent or guardian. The documentary, Which Way Home chronicles the journey of some unaccompanied children trying to get to the U.S.. Minors are held in separate facilities (in Arizona, these facilities are in central Phoenix) and when a child turns 18, they age out of the facility and are often transferred to an adult detention facility. Some of the few minors who receive legal status occasionally turn 18 before the process is completed. Most often, it is people in this situation who we host until everything is finalized and travel arrangements can be made for them to join family elsewhere in the country.
What do you do for them and what kind of help do you need?
We try to give them a safe place to rest and get together everything they need for the next leg of the journey. We also hope to let them know that they are welcome and that they really matter - something that has likely not been conveyed to them much since they've been in this country. The most obvious need is for someone to graciously open their home to the immigrant. In addition to that, we like to give a welcoming dinner (and in the case of minors who are aging out, that first day out of detention is also their 18th birthday, so there's one more thing to celebrate.) Some people are needed to help organize these celebrations and provide the food. When possible, it can be a fun experience to cook the meal together and possibly even have the guest share some of their authentic home cuisine. Perhaps the greatest need is for people who can take the guest out to do something fun or to run errands. This helps to make things a little easier for the host. It is not expected that the host always be entertaining their guest - in fact, the guests are often left at home by themselves during the day. Many like to just have some time to themselves to gather their thoughts. They also often ask to use the phone and internet so they can contact family and plan for what is next. However, there are times that the guest will need to run a few errands and even beyond that, sometimes it is just nice for them to be able to get out and do something fun. So we ask some people to take them out for a while. This can be done at pretty much anytime during the guests' stay. It just needs to be planned and communicated with the host a little ahead of time. Spanish skills are especially useful for this type of involvement, as many of the guests (especially minors) speak only Spanish - or Spanish and an indigenous language.
How are people chosen and referred to you to receive hospitality?
The Florence Project provides legal services to those who are detained and have a case for being permitted to stay in this country. They also support detainees and those recently released in other ways. When one of their clients gets released and needs hospitality in the Phoenix area, they call on us (among others) to provide it. Because of the time spent with the client throughout the legal process, the Florence Project knows the person's background and personality well and is able to find a good fit for them upon their release. We also work some with the Restoration Project, which is an intentional community in Tuscan that has been providing hospitality to recently released detainees for several years and has recently partnered with the Florence Project to form the Restoration Project, Florence.
There are other opportunities to get involved directly through the Florence Project, such as visiting and writing letters to detained individuals.
When and how often does this happen?
It's hard to say. So far we've averaged about one guest every couple of months. Unfortunately, it is hard to know exactly when a person will be released - even if ICE says they'll do one thing, they often change their mind last minute. Because of this, it is usually a pretty short notice when we need the help, and plans change frequently. This is a frustrating, but undeniable part of the process. Therefore, a certain degree of flexability is normally required.
Who are you and why do you do this?
Many of us are Christians. Of those, a good number of us are a part of an intentional community called Apprenticeship to Jesus that has made hospitality to the immigrant and refugee a priority. In doing this, we are simply trying answer Christ's call to love:
For many of us, this is our motivation - to live out the Christian calling. However, we welcome people of all religious views to join us in working toward the common goal of justice and compassion in our nation, our state, and our communities. We also respect people of different faiths and acknowledge that we are not here to convert people, but to simply love them.
- We believe that all people are made in the “image of God” and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6).
- We believe there is an undeniable responsibility to love, welcome, and show compassion for the stranger among us (Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:31-46).
- We believe that immigrants are our neighbors, both literally and figuratively, and we are to “love our neighbors as ourselves” and show mercy to neighbors in need (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:25-37). [2]
We find that showing hospitality to the immigrant is rewarding for us too. While we may be providing some basic needs to the guest, they often help us realize that there is more to life than our individualistic, consumeristic American culture tells us. It opens our eyes to the lives of others around the world - both their joys and their pains - in a very real and personal way. It puts a name and a face to what for many people is just another legislative issue. It is good for us to hear the stories of others, to step out of our comfort zone, to spend time with people who may not look and think like we do. This requires some sacrifices, but it is always such a blessing for us to have the opportunity to extend a welcome to these brothers and sisters of ours and to let them speak into our lives.
What things are important for me to remember as I interact with the immigrant?
One of the primary concerns is confidentiality. Because some of the guests will still be awaiting the outcome of their immigration case, it is important that we not jeopardize this for them by disclosing their identity or the specifics of their situation to those who do not need to know or making it available to the public (online).
It is also important to remember that many of them came from traumatic situations and may not want to re-live those memories. It is fine to talk with them about their past if they are comfortable with it but try not to pry and instead, allow them to guide the conversation.
If legal matters or other questions come up that you are not trained to deal with, please let the host or another person know who can inform the Florence Project about the matter. They are much more equipped to handle such needs.
As a volunteer, you are NOT a lawyer, a mental health worker, a social worker, or a source of financial support.
Your role is to encourage and support the immigrant by offering them your friendship.
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We hope that this has helped provide a better idea of how the immigration system operates and the ways that we try to serve those who are being released.
If this sounds like something that you would like to be a part of, please see the Join Us page to learn how you can get involved.
Thank you for your interest.
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Sources:
[1] Physicians for Human Rights National Student Program.
see http://phrtoolkits.org/toolkits/asylum-detention/background/detention/#Detention_of_Asylum_Seekers_in_the_US
[2] Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
http://faithandimmigration.org/sites/default/files/tmp/CCIR%20flyer%20final.pdf
