Amna Nawaz:
Two Democratic members of Congress visited the ICE family detention center in Dilley, Texas, today, where 5-year-old Liam Ramos is being detained, along with many other children and families.
Congressman Joaquin Castro posted this image of his meeting with Liam and his father and shared this update on his condition.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX):
His father said that Liam has been very depressed since he’s been at Dilley, that he hasn’t been eating well. I was concerned with, you see how he appears in that photo with his energy. He seemed lethargic.
Amna Nawaz:
Over the weekend, hundreds of detainees inside the facility protested their conditions and treatment in this remarkable display of defiance.
Immigration attorney Erin Lee was at the center that day, and I spoke with him earlier.
Erin Lee, welcome to the “News Hour.” Thank you for joining us.
Erin Lee, Immigration Attorney:
Thanks for having me. Hi.
Amna Nawaz:
So I want to ask you about that day and those protests that you witnessed in a moment.
But I want to start with the news today, because you shared earlier that ICE put the entire Dilley facility on lockdown today. What does that mean when that kind of a place goes on lockdown? And what do you know about why that went into place?
Erin Lee:
Well, it’s because of the demonstration that took place today in Dilley.
We also know that, last night, guards burst into one of the women’s dormitories, ordered everybody out of the room, stopped people who were in the middle of prayers, and rummaged through everybody’s personal belongings to find any evidence of signs or participation in the planned protest for today.
So there’s no question that this was a significant attack on the First Amendment rights of all of the people in this facility. What it’s looked like today, from what we have been hearing from many detained families, is that people are not allowed to leave their rooms. They were escorted to the lunch area for meals.
And so this is the reaction of the Trump administration to individuals expressing their free speech rights, both inside these facilities and outside these facilities.
Amna Nawaz:
So, this weekend — I want to get to a piece of video that you recorded, because I understand you were at the facility meeting with clients. You saw firsthand some of these images that we saw going viral, getting a lot of media attention and headlines.
And you recorded this piece of video on Saturday. Just take a listen.
Erin Lee:
Can you hear that? They’re shouting: “Let us out, let us out.”
Amna Nawaz:
Eric, tell us more about what you saw, what you heard that day. And what prompted the protest in the first place?
Erin Lee:
Well, I was visiting a family that I represent. Their name is El Gamal. There’s six of them. There’s a mother and her five children, two 5-year-old twins who have spent almost 20 percent of their lives at this facility, a 9-year-old, a 16-year-old, an 18-year-old who has since Saturday been separated from her family and denied visitation rights as a result, retribution for her decision to speak out previously about conditions in this facility.
The protest, as I understand, was triggered by the fact that people inside saw the size of the general strike and the massive demonstration that took place in Minneapolis on Friday, and they were — they wanted to join this growing movement from below, a movement of the American population against the Trump administration’s effort.
Amna Nawaz:
You mentioned the El Gamal family that you represent. We should note their father was convicted of domestic terrorism. The family says they knew nothing about that. And, as you mentioned, they have now been detained for months.
Why are they being held? Are they being charged with something? What’s the government’s plan for them?
Erin Lee:
The government has detained this family solely because of something that somebody else did. That offends every basic democratic principle upon which this country was founded 250 years ago this year.
The individual responsibility is required for civil and other forms of incarceration in this country. This family, an immigration judge has determined that they did not know and that they could not have known what their husband/father was planning. They have publicly denounced the attack that took place in Boulder.
The Trump administration from the very beginning has been punishing this family in a cruel and sadistic way, 5-year-old children, not because they did anything wrong, but because of somebody to whom they were related did. And that is not how things are supposed to work in this country. That’s how things work in police states, where the regime punishes people because of their associations.
And it’s extremely concerning that this is being done to this young family. All they need is to get out. They have a supportive community in Colorado ready to welcome them home. An immigration judge denied them bond last week because the children and the mom lack sufficient property and assets, among other things.
How does a 5-year-old have property? He made that decision about each individual child. That’s what’s happening in the American immigration system. That’s what immigration attorneys unfortunately see every day. To the American people, it’s worse than you think.
Amna Nawaz:
You shared online a photo drawn by what I understand is the youngest child in the El Gamal family. You posted it online. It shows the family behind bars and the caption: “Let us go.”
So, from your perspective, Eric, if immigration judges are denying bond here, if this is the system as it’s working right now, what’s the recourse for a family like this or others?
Erin Lee:
I think, in the medium and long term and actually even in the short term, it’s the development of this mass movement of the population of this country standing up, stepping forward.
Change and reform isn’t possible within the framework of the present political establishment. Press conferences by politicians are great, but they go away after the midterms, things stay the same. Dilley was founded by Obama and kept opened by Biden for three years.
What’s required is this mass movement from below which we’re beginning to see in this country. That has to continue to find independent expression. And I think that the fact that these children are risking everything — they could be separated from their families. They could be deported in retribution for participating.
If they’re standing up and speaking out, then that is a message to the population of the country and the world.
Amna Nawaz:
Immigration attorney Erin Lee joining us tonight.
Eric, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.
Erin Lee:
Thank you.
