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Happening right now: Border Patrol at SFO is detaining two siblings from Haiti—ages 9 and 19. Both had valid visas. ICE says it will separate the terrified 9 year old from his brother. And send him to a refugee shelter in Texas with no clear date when he can get out.
Mom in Haití is terrified. Lawyers and family are pleading with Border Patrol and ICE to just let them fly home. But ICE says, after they took away his visa, he is now an “unaccompanied minor” and therefore must be detained. The cruelty of our immigration laws knows few limits
The kids have not slept for two days. This system has been diabolically designed to produce this kind of trauma. We need immediate intervention into this situation now. And then, we need a complete overhaul of our inhumane immigration laws.
The phone number for the Border Patrol Deferred Inspection Supervisor is 415 844 5227. The phone number for the CBP Field Office director is 415 744 1530 ext 234.
Border Patrol is saying that once they took away the child’s visa, he is no longer in lawful status, and they can consider him an “unaccompanied minor.” Once he is an unaccompanied minor, they say he is subject to the Torture Victim Protection Act and requires detention.
Update: Border Patrol and ICE separated the brothers in the middle of the night last night, despite multiple attempts by advocates to stop it. The nine year old year old was sent to a shelter. We don't know where either is, because they refuse to tell the lawyer or family.
Please demand that @ICEgov immediately release Vlad to his family, and keep the pressure on until the family is reunited.https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adolfoflores/haitian-boy-separated-brother …
CBP issued a statement about the brothers. It was filled with lies. They said the older brother lacked some "required" documentation even though he had a valid F1 student visa. Instead of letting him correct the error, they deported him, which was legally unnecessary.
UPDATE: Vlad, 9, remains distressed and terrified, separated from his family. Feds have given no release date, though his family and friends are ready to pick him up anytime. By rule, he can only make 2 calls PER WEEK to his mom. This could be fixed with the stroke of a pen.
One week has passed. Vlad remains alone, terrified. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which normalizes cruelty, is demanding many things including proof of a plane ticket for Vlad to Haiti. No timeline for return. It’s a broken agency that needs to be abolished.
Do you know what can be done? Can we pull together bail for the 9 year old?
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