A Night at the Detention Center

The other night we joined Coloradans for Immigrant Rights and the American Friends Service Committee at a vigil for immigration reform at 30^th and Peoria in Aurora. This busy street corner stands a short distance from the** GEO –run detention center that will hold 1,200 individuals when the new annex is completed. The majority (if not all) of the residents of the detention center are immigrants who were arrested for not having the appropriate papers. Mind you, entering the country without documentation is a misdemeanor clerical offense along the lines of driving without a proper license. The individuals in the detention center are held without access to legal counsel and often without the ability to communicate with their families. Because GEO is a private company which operates in relative secrecy (under their government contract), abuses are more likely. Taxpayers pay $133 per night per inmate to support their incarceration.

The vigils for reform are held on the first Monday of each month, and this month’s vigil was sponsored by the Denver chapter of No More Deaths / No Mas Muertes (http://www.nomoredeaths.org/), which sees parallels between the dire situation of immigrants crossing the desert (facing severe illness and even death) and the inhumane treatment of inmates in US detention centers. We opened by discussing No More Deaths’ role here in Denver, followed by an introduction of the AFSC Campaign called Dignity, Not Detention, which will attempt to persuade the Obama administration to reform the detention system. Then Jerry Herships, a pastor at St. Andrew UMC in Highlands Ranch, read a prayer, an excerpt of which follows:

“ Leader/Líder: Remind us God that you are a just God. Remind us that you believe in everyone having their day to tell their story and that a system that is not fair for all is not fair for any. Help us be your hands and feet and voice that fight for everyone to feel the process of justice.
Recuérdanos Dios que eres un Dios justo. Recuérdanos que tú crees que todos deben tener su día de contar su historia y que cualquier sistema que no es justo para todos no es justo para nadie. Ayúdanos a ser tus manos y pies y voz para que todos sientan el proceso de justicia.

All/Todos: EL DEBIDO PROCESO PARA TODOS /DUE PROCESS FOR ALL”

After the prayer we sang “We Shall Overcome” in the frosty outside air. I could not escape the irony of singing four verses passionately in complete freedom, then glancing at my watch to make sure I would not be late getting home to the babysitter, while the detention center inmates languished without connection to the outside. How many women inside the detention center cannot get out to see their children – can not even call to see if they are safe? Life’s sharp contrasts and injustices brought me a tinge of despair greater than the reality of the internment center itself.

As we sang and chanted, men’s hands plastered against the frosted windows like so many starfish splayed against an aquarium. The windows, above shoulder height, framed their reaching arms and frantic faces; their expressions desperate bids for attention and connection. We flashed peace signs, raised fists, and promised to close the detention center. Other alternatives exist; certain municipalities have experimented with monitoring individuals through bracelets or by simply having them call in to a volunteer organization (such as a church). A vast majority of the individuals monitored appeared at their court date. The charge for a program like this is far less than $130/person/day. Let us hope we have the strength to improve the system, even as the people inside have the strength to last their sentences.

** The GEO Group, Inc. ("GEO") is a world leader in the delivery of correctional, detention, and residential treatment services to federal, state, and local government agencies around the globe. GEO offers a turnkey approach that includes design, construction, financing, and operations. GEO represents government clients in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO's worldwide operations include the management and/or ownership of 62 correctional and residential treatment facilities with a total design capacity of approximately 60,000 beds, including projects under development.