7/27/2019 ICE Detainee Letter

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Letter from ICE detainees

To Whom It May Concern,

The ICE detainees in Building 8 at Suffolk County House of Correction (South Bay) have

united for one cause. We are forced to go on a peaceful, nonviolent hunger strike, which will begin on

Thursday, October 3, 2013. the principle reason for this movement is to bring attention to the unlawfulimprisonment that DHS subjects illegal immigrants and permanent residents to everyday in this

country. Most ICE detainees are held in mandatory detention without the possibilities of a bond hearing

or a supervised release under section 8 USC 1226 (c). We all strongly believe that we should be eligiblefor supervised release or bond hearings, because most of us do not have violent criminal history, pose a

threat to the public, nor present a flight risk, yet we are still held without... (some pieces lost due to jail

interference)

Third, the Fourteenth Amendment in the United States Constitution entitles us to life, liberty, and the

pursuit of happiness, which we and our family are being denied. Also, we suffer irreparable harm each

day our unlawful detention continues.Currently, our living conditions at Suffolk County are degrading and dehumanizing. For

example, we are forced to shower barefoot on unsanitary shower floors which could lead to contracting

infectious diseases such as MRSA or athletes foot, since we are not given jail issued shower slippers. Inaddition, the showers are infested with flies and the sinks have worms. Plus, from 9:30pm to 7:00am

we are not given immediate access to the bathroom, which has caused many here to urinate and even

defecate in their cells on many occasions. Furthermore, we are subject to minor strip searches whichrequires us to lift up our shirts and lower our pants... (some pieces lost due to jail interference)

Also, our out-going mail are sometimes withheld for a week before going out. And our incoming mail

are being returned back to the sender for no legitimate reason. Many of us here our mail is our onlyform of communication with the outside world. In addition, out-of-state hone calls cost at least twenty

five plus dollars for a twenty minute phone call. And may of us are out-of-state detainees. Next,

detainees with life-threatening medical conditions are refused or not given proper medical attentionwhich they are entitled to by law. Finally, we do not have a complete law library. Many of us cannot

afford a lawyer and are forced to use the law library to fight our case. However, the small library we do

have does not contain actual law books, but only fictional books. We do have a computer which isbroken most of the time and we are given very limited access to it. (some pieces lost due to jail

interference)

...other things it should not be.

In closing, we are truly grateful for all the support we have received from everybody on the

outside who supports our cause. We want our voices to be heard, our suffering to be witnessed, and put

a stop to all the unlawful detention and deportations of millions of detainees with little or no crimesother than being born in another country.

We greatly appreciate your time and interest in our regards. I hope this letter finds you well.