Trump is separating families again. 19-year-old Soofia Eslam is locked up by herself in a remote detention facility in Southeast Texas. Soofia and her family arrived in the U.S. this February after fleeing violence and abuse in Iran. They dreamed of finding a safe place to land and build a new life. Instead, they were apprehended by CBP upon entering the U.S. After weeks apart, they were reunited at a detention center in Karnes County, Texas where Soofia took care of her ailing mother and brothers — until ICE released them. The rest of her family can pursue their immigration case freed from immigration prison. Except for Soofia. She remains alone in government custody with deportation orders. Because she’s over 18, it’s at ICE’s discretion to consider her part of the family unit or to treat her case as independent. But Soofia is an essential part of her family unit: she is the primary caretaker for her mother, who suffers from chronic back pain, and her two younger brothers, one of whom has autism and relies on her care. When she was briefly separated from her family before, her mother was depressed and unable to sleep. Her brother with autism suffered the most, experiencing anger, confusion, and anxiety, which led to him refusing to eat. Soofia’s immigration case is strong and carries with it the same life or death stakes of her ailing mother and brothers, for whom she is the primary caregiver. Please encourage Miguel Vergara, head of the San Antonio ICE office to ICE's discretionary power to secure Soofia’s freedom and reunite her with her family so they can fight their case together.
Additionally, please draw attention to the fact that the Trump administration has restarted the horrific practice of family detention, and that families are once again suffering the weaponized threat of separation.
The Trump administration doesn’t do a lot of things quietly, especially when it comes to attacking immigrants. So it’s especially concerning to see families held in detention centers in Texas in recent weeks without great fanfare, including families with children as young as one and who have been in the country anywhere from a few weeks to as long as 10 years. The fact that they aren't publicizing this change is because it's obvious that putting children in prison doesn't do anything to "secure the border".
As was well-documented during the first Trump presidency, family detention has enormous health impacts for children in particular, including permanent developmental damage for some — as well as trauma that has the potential to last generations.
Please fight against family detention and draw attention to the fact that the Trump administration is once again separating immigrant families, something that was so unpopular during the first Trump administration that they were forced to stop. The American public does not want families jailed or separated. Don't remain silent while it happens again.
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