Kon’s Testimony
[Kon Kuac is currently being detained at Caroline detention center in Virginia. He is set to be deported to South Sudan soon, a country that didn’t even exist when he came to the US as a refugee. Below is Kon’s written and oral testimony.]
Well, I want the story to start by saying my name is Kon Kuac and I am getting deported to a country I never live in before, [Sudan]. Sudan broke off [split], it was a whole country. My family fled because of the civil war in 1995 to Egypt. We [were] admitted to united state as refugee[s] in 1997 and I was 6 years old. I did [not] know nothing about life in south Sudan. Fast forward 23 years later, I am getting deported [there].
I grew up thinking I was a united states citizen because I went to elementary, middle, and high school here. I’m fluently speak English only I don’t know nothing about my native language. Am I scare[d]? Yes, because I am being drop[ed] off in an unknown country with no directions or help. If you have been in tune with south Sudan there’s a lot of militias groups and extreme Islamic group looking for foreigners as targets. And I feel like I am being handed over to be executed.
The fact is I did time in prison at the age of 17. I suffer and [have] mentally been punish[ed] for 10 years and now I am going to be put in a compromise[d] position as far [as will I] live or die. This is not fair that America, the land of the free and opportunity, is violating my rights as a human to choose were I want to live on earth. The earth is for any human. It belong[s] to God and the fact is [historically] when the British colonies tax[ed] the[ir] forefathers they felt like it was not right. That’s why the got together and created a free world, so what changed?
Where is my chance?
Free Them All VA is an abolitionist coalition centered around amplifying the organizing of those incarcerated in Virginia detention centers, jails, and prisons. Our demand to free them all has no asterisk. All means all.
