Rally Speech: Stories from Migrants, in Their Own Words
[Speech given to Tableau employees at “Drawing A Line: Tableau Rally For Human Rights,” an employee demonstration held on October 29, 2019. Lightly edited for clarity and sourcing.]
I’d like to read a few stories of immigrants, in their own words, in some cases translated from the original Spanish. Some of these stories may be difficult to hear, because this is a painful topic. So I’d like for everyone, with me, to take a moment. Shake out your hands, shake out your feet. Everyone breathe in, then breathe out. Again: breathe in, then breathe out. OK.
Before I begin, let me note that some details of these stories are disturbing. This includes descriptions of violence, as well as mistreatment and suffering of children and families. I’m going to start with the words of someone named Iris. In 2018, Iris shared their story:
- Iris (source: pg 42)
My son and I are from El Salvador. We left the country because of gangs. We used to own our own food business, but the gangs kept coming to us and demanding more and more money. When my son was in kindergarten, they threatened to kill him and so we eventually took him out of school. We paid them but they kept asking for more money and we paid because we were scared…
We did not call the police because we knew of another family who went to the police and eventually that family went missing and no one knows what happened to them…
We presented ourselves at the border about May 2nd, 2018…
We were not given water or food since arriving at the border and were not given water until we arrived at “La Perrera.” When we arrived, I went to the bathroom and then my son who is 10 years of age was taken and put in another location because of his age. I was not told where my son had gone. I asked another woman and other people if they knew were my son was. I was very worried…
I was separated from my son for 3 days. My son was able to shower only one time and I could not shower there at all for 3 days. The guards kicked adults and children to keep them awake, and would take blankets off children…
We were only given burritos to eat… I knew that they were spoiled because they were very acidic and they tasted horrible…
When we arrived, we slept on the floor, which was very cold. Twelve hours later, they gave us green mats that were just three inches thick, which we had to put on the floor…
The lights were on the entire time. It was hard to sleep.
After three days, my son and I were taken to another place, Dilley, where we have been held for 58 days… when my son and I arrived to this place in Dilley, my son became very sick. He was sick for 3 ½ weeks…
They say my son can stay here but that I will not be able to and that I will have to go back to my country. My son is the only one now who can talk about the case, but he does not know how to explain the case all by himself.
2. From a hunger-striking detainee at the Northwest Detention Center, Tacoma, a private prison operated by GEO Group:
I’m here detained by ICE. I have been a victim of violence by GEO staff. One woman comes in screaming at us in an ultra-loud voice that has traumatized us from sleeping. Now I can’t sleep because almost any sound wakes me and my companions up thinking that the lady is going to grill and degrade us.
She tells us that she is not our “babysitter,” and doesn’t let me know when I have an appointment with the doctor or when there are things I have to do.
The woman does not fear our deportation and she goes around telling all her staff that she can do what she wants, and that there was no need to speak with a supervisor. I made a report with ICE, I made a report with an official, but after ICE heard me, everything I told them they try to hide.
Yesterday, a maggot was found in the food. We did not want to return it because we thought that maybe we could send it out to show to you. But they didn’t want to give it to us. The staff became very rude and hid the maggots from their supervisor.
Since yesterday, in the afternoon I did not have dinner, today in the morning I did not have breakfast, and today at lunch, I did not eat either. The reason why I have not eaten is because it makes me sick to eat something that I know contains worms. I’d rather be here and starve to death than to eat worms.
I hope that you can take care of us, you who are outside… I would like to see if you can also do something to help, but most of all to try and not to separate from our family, or leave us. Because, we are human and we want to move forward to fight for our families. Thank you. This is my comment..
[Statement provided by La Resistencia Northwest.]
3. And finally, a brief account from a girl, age 17:
I was given a blanket and a mattress, but then, at 3:00 a.m., the guards took the blanket and mattress. My baby was left sleeping on the floor. In fact, almost every night, the guards wake us at 3:00 a.m. and take away our sleeping mattresses and blankets. They leave babies, even little babies of two or three months, sleeping on the cold floor. For me, because I am so pregnant, sleeping on the floor is very painful for my back and hips. I think the guards act this way to punish us.
These are just three stories. Three stories out of thousands. And new stories continue to emerge every day, enlightening us of the past or revealing some new horror. I know for many of us, it’s easy, too easy, to distance ourselves from that horror. But here’s why it hits home for me.
One immigration lawyer said it best when she encouraged a mother to fight and get her son back: “In English we have a phrase, ‘Mama bear.’” Mama bear comes out whether you are lost in a grocery store or lost in a foreign country — if it comes to it, your mama bear would tear that place apart in order to find you and make you safe again. Nothing could stop her. It’s an amazing thing, a powerful love and courage in the face of fear. It should inspire us all. But the heartbreaking thing is that it shouldn’t have to happen. These families are being separated needlessly. They need our love, and strength, not our fear. What are we afraid of?
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Summary statement: Drawing a Line
