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U.S. NEWS Thursday 5 december 2019

ICE: Protest at Louisiana jail ends after pepper spray used

ber at another Louisiana
jail, the Richwood Correc-
tional Center. Hernandez
had applied for asylum at
a border bridge in El Paso,
Texas, was deemed "inad-
missible" by border agents
and was placed in deten-
tion for five months.
"The psychological impact
of situations like this is hor-
rendous," said Nathalia
Dickson, an immigration
attorney based in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana.
A federal judge in Septem-
ber sided with the Southern
Poverty Law Center, which
sued on behalf of asylum
seekers detained in Louisi-
ana, Alabama and Missis-
sippi, and ordered ICE to
follow its own guidelines in
In a Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 file photo, a guard walks on a path between yards during a media releasing detainees.
tour inside the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, La. Both Winn and Richwood
Associated Press are operated by the same
Louisiana-based company,
By NOMAAN MERCHANT the protesters "subsequent- at other ICE jails in Louisi- LaSalle Corrections, which
Associated Press ly became compliant." Cox ana, where the immigrant operates several jails and
HOUSTON (AP) — U.S. Im- said medical staff evaluat- detainee population has prisons converted into im-
migration and Customs En- ed anyone who came into surged in recent months migration detention cen-
forcement said officers in- contact with the pepper and hit 8,000 earlier this ters since last year.
side one of its Louisiana jails spray and no injuries were year. Asylum seekers from Cox, the ICE spokesman,
pepper-sprayed migrants reported. Cuba and other countries said the agency used pep-
to end their protest over Family members of peo- say they're being detained per spray "when the ICE de-
prolonged detention. ple detained at Winn said for months without a court tainees refused to comply
Spokesman Bryan Cox said some migrants had refused date or a chance to re- despite repeated attempts
Wednesday that "a brief, to go back to their cell and quest their release even af- by facility staff and ICE of-
calculated use of pep- were sleeping outside. Oth- ter passing an initial screen- ficers to disperse the group
per spray was employed" ers had written the word ing to determine whether and restore orderly opera-
during a Tuesday protest "Libertad" — Spanish for 'lib- they have a viable asylum tion of the facility."
at the Winn Correctional erty'— on bedsheets and claim. One 43-year-old "This was a calculated use
Center in rural Winnfield. towels. man from Cuba, Roylan of force, consistent with
Cox said about 50 migrants Lawyers say asylum seek- Hernandez Diaz, died by agency protocol," Cox
were pepper-sprayed and ers have staged protests apparent suicide in Octo- said.q

Protesters rally for detained Uzbek immigrant, a

father of 3

By CHRIS EHRMANN work nor live peacefully," and he overstayed his visa," lease his father and saying
Associated Press his wife, Madina Madjitov, she said. Bakhodir came to his younger brother has not
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — said at the rally. "I don't the United States in 2006, met him.
Over a dozen people gath- think I can provide normal Blank said, and married his Immigration officials de-
ered Wednesday in front of life without my husband for wife around 2010, who is tained Bakhodir on Dec.
the Immigration and Cus- my children." now a U.S. citizen. He also 22, 2017, a week before his
toms Enforcement office Diana Blank, one of the applied for asylum after his wife was due to give birth
in Hartford to protest the man's lawyers, said he was visa expired but was de- to their third child.
nearly 2-year-long deten- granted in November two nied, as was his appeal. "The youngest has nev-
tion of a Connecticut immi- temporary emergency Bakhodir has been moved er met him; he poses no
grant marked for deporta- stays of removal by federal around the country to facil- threat to anyone," Bronin
tion. courts. He originally had a ities in Massachusetts and said. "This is madness, so we
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin final order of removal of an ICE processing center gather today to ask ICE to
joined the wife of Bakhodir no later than Dec. 2. It's in Louisiana, Blank said. He let Bakhodir come home to
Madjitov and others to sup- unclear now how soon he is now in an ICE detention his family.
port Bakhodir Madjitov, an could be deported. facility in Alabama. "The legal process will con-
Uzbek immigrant and fa- "He has no criminal history, ICE officials did not immedi- tinue, ICE's authorities will
ther of three children, all of there is no allegation of any ately return an email seek- remain in place, but let
whom are U.S. citizens. wrongdoing or any criminal ing comment. him go, let him go home to
"I'm living in pain with broke history, they simply claim At the rally, the Madjitovs' these beautiful kids, let this
bones since my third child he's removable because 7-year-old son Muhammad little boy hug his dad for the
was born; I can neither he has an order of removal spoke, asking for ICE to re- first time in his life."q