US Legal Resident Claims Abusive Treatment While Detained

Paulo Monte, a US permanent resident since he was a baby, claims he experienced abusive treatment while under the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Detained with criminals, he said he saw inmates get hit, too. (OJornal.com photo)

The following excerpt is from OJornal.com, June 26, 2009, where the entire article is posted.Desça a tela para ler a tradução em português.Scroll down to read the article in Portuguese.

FALL RIVER, MASS. - Paulo Monte admits contemplating suicide several times as an escape from the "nightmare" he lived through, under the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.      Monte, 40, a legal permanent resident of the United States since he was five months old, spent the last 18 months in jail fighting relentlessly against his deportation to Portugal.       In addition to the complex legal battle he faced trying to preserve his right to stay in this country, he claims he was subject to abusive treatment and inadequate medical care during his detention and often threatened with retaliation if he sought to seek medical attention.      "No one wants to listen to us in there [ICE detention]," Monte told O Jornal. "I thought of suicide. My family and daughter kept me going."      On June 1, he was released after a U.S. Immigration Court judge terminated his case without prejudice, finding him "not removable" from the United States and waiving an appeal.       Monte said the whole experience has left him deeply disturbed. At times, he still can't help but break down while recalling his ordeal - first at the Bristol County Jail and House of Correction in Dartmouth, and then at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility.      "They've traumatized me," he said. "I saw a lot... they don't treat us like human beings. I was threatened plenty of times. Many [detainees] are afraid of fighting back because they don't want to be deported."

Acts of violenceMonte said he witnessed various incidents of violence while in ICE detention because there were times he was placed in the same unit as violent criminals.      "They say our cases are civil, not criminal, but they lock us up with the general population," he said. "I was placed with murderers and bank robbers. I watched people being hit and sliced with a razor."      The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts has received similar complaints from other ICE detainees.       "It's a dangerous situation," ACLU of Massachusetts staff attorney Laura Rotolo told O Jornal. "Many immigrants have never been to jail before. They don't know the written and unwritten rules. They don't know how to deal with the violence. They are really scared and don't do well at all."

Health care delayed or denied

Monte maintains he was denied or received delayed health care on several occasions. He alleges that one time he passed blood in his urine for four days before he received medical attention.

He also states he was unable to see a cardiologist despite his repetitive complaints of a racing heart and numbness in the legs that he believes were caused by side effects from an anti-anxiety medication he was prescribed.      "They wouldn't do anything about it," he said. "I would put medical slips and they would tell me to stop complaining."      Monte also alleges that at times he had inadequate access to phone services to contact his attorney.      He raised his concerns about violation of civil rights in numerous letters he sent to governmental officials and advocacy and civil liberties organizations. The Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland Security is currently reviewing these concerns.      According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Monte's experience is not an isolated case.      Last December, the organization released a report on medical issues in immigration detention.      "One of the greatest injustices we found was the situation of persons who become ill in ICE detention. We get a lot of complaints about immigration not approving care. If ICE denies care, they can't appeal that decision, and they can't get their own care because ICE won't release them on medical needs," said ACLU attorney Rotolo.       The report claims that conditions such as skin infections, pre-cancerous lesions and a broken finger have gone untreated.      ICE officials, however, maintain that providing a safe, secure and humane detention environment for detainees, including providing health care to those in their custody, is a high priority for the agency and detention standards ensure detainees have access to emergent, urgent and non-emergent care.      "We take this responsibility very seriously and have created a comprehensive detainee health care program and a rigorous inspection program to that end," said James T. Hayes, Jr., director for the Office of Detention and Removal Operations at a hearing on "Medical Care and Treatment of Immigration Detainees and Deaths in DRO Custody" before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security last March.      Yet ICE officials admit there have been some problems since ICE's inception in 2003.      "There have been 90 detainee deaths in ICE custody, including 76 of natural causes, 13 by suicide and one by accidental overdose," said Dora Schriro, special advisor to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, on Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) at the same hearing.

"In several recent instances, the medical and custodial care that those detainees received before expiring appeared to be contrary to DRO policy."

Attorney Rotolo said her agency gets a lot of complaints from the Plymouth and Bristol County jails, where detainees report waiting several weeks between the time they file a medical request and the time they are called to be seen.      "They are the ones we get the most complaints about," she said.       Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, however, refuted those allegations, saying inmates at his jail are given adequate medical care in a timely fashion. He also said he is not aware of such complaints and that his facility, in fact, has been audited and received very favorable ratings.      "We're very proud of our operations. We have very high standards," he said, adding that "they look at our facility as a model."

Fighting the systemMonte, who was born in Ponta Delgada, Azores, said he decided to share his story publicly because he wanted "people to know how we're treated in jail," while detainees are trying to navigate the complex immigration legal system to fight deportation.      Monte was apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in November of 2007. DHS originally alleged he was removable from the United States because of a 1987 assault and battery conviction and a 2007 assault and battery with a dangerous weapon conviction.       He told O Jornal he received a one-year suspended sentence for the 1987 conviction. He also claims that he borrowed a car in 1988, but ended up being charged with larceny of a motor vehicle and sentenced to three years probation.      He explained that the 2007 conviction resulted from a fight in 2003. He was sentenced to 11 months in jail, of which he served five.      He said his ordeal with ICE started when he was about done serving his time. Instead of being released, he was turned over to Immigration.      According to the 1996 Anti-Terrorism Law, any legal permanent alien convicted of at least one felony or at least two misdemeanors can face deportation, if they were sentenced to more than one year, even if it was a suspended sentence. The law is often applied retroactively, as in Monte's case.      Monte said he did not suspect he could be deported until ICE detained him. As a matter of fact, in 1998 - two years after the deportation law was enacted - he took a trip to the Bahamas and had no problems being admitted into the United States. His expired Portuguese passport bears the U.S. admission stamp.            "I feel this is my country; this is all I know," Monte said.       Attorney Rotolo said ICE tends to use detention as a tool to make it difficult for individuals to stay in the country.      "This is something that is very common, unfortunately," she said. "The government uses detention as a tool to coerce people to give up their rights because a lot of people are not as strong as Paulo and they are not able to stay in immigration detention, where conditions can be very harsh. A lot of times people just say, 'Forget it. I am not going to fight my immigration case. I'll sign whatever you want, just deport me now.'"      Immigration attorney Roberto Gonzalez of East Providence, RI, who represented Monte, said most of his client's criminal justice system problems arose from the fact that he did not have adequate legal representation at the time.      "In some cases, he went to court without a lawyer and did what he had to do to get out of prison... that meant he accepted responsibility for something he shouldn't have," said Gonzalez. "He was never advised of his rights and that he should have a lawyer. He was never told he could fight the case and never told that if he pled guilty to the case, he could get ordered deported. His pleas were not...valid because he did not know his rights."

Source:  OJornal.com  and  GateHouse Media, Inc.   Copyright 2009 New England Ethnic Newswire, EthnicNEWz.org.  This material may not be republished, rewritten, broadcast or distributed without the permission of the source.  Inquire or send press releases to NEWz at EthnicNews (at) yahoo (dot) com.

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FALL RIVER, MASS. - Paulo Monte admite ter pensado várias vezes em suicidar-se para escapar ao "pesadelo" que viveu sob a custódia da agência U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).      avelmente contra a sua deportação para Portugal.      Para além de ter de enfrentar uma complexa batalha jurídica para tentar manter o seu direito de permanecer no país, Monte alega que foi sujeito a tratamento abusivo e cuidados de saúde inadequados durante a sua detenção e foi frequentemente ameaçado com retaliação se procurasse conseguir assistência médica.      "Ninguém quer escutar-nos lá [detenção da ICE]," Monte adiantou a O Jornal. "Pensei em suicidar-me. A minha família e filha é que me deram força para viver."      No dia 1 de Junho, foi libertado após um juiz dos Serviços de Imigração ter terminado o seu caso sem detrimento, determinando que ele "não era deportável" e que não iria haver recurso da decisão.      Monte referiu que a experiência sob a custódia do ICE o deixou profundamente perturbado. Por vezes, não consegue evitar chorar quando recorda o que passou - primeiro na Cadeia do Condado de Bristol em Dartmouth e depois na do Condado de Plymouth.      "Eles deixaram-me traumatizado," sublinhou. "Vi muitas coisas... não nos tratam como seres humanos. Fui ameaçado muitas vezes. Muitos [reclusos] têm medo de lutar contra os maus tratos porque não querem ser deportados.  Actos violentos      Monte refere que assistiu a vários incidentes envolvendo violência, sob a custódia da ICE, porque por vezes foi colocado na mesma unidade que criminosos violentos.      "Eles dizem que os nossos casos são civis, não criminais, mas encarceram-nos com a população [prisional] geral," sublinhou. "Fui colocado com homicidas e assaltantes de banco. Vi pessoas serem espancadas e cortadas com uma gilete."      A American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts diz ter recebido queixas semelhantes de outros reclusos da ICE.      "Trata-se de uma situação perigosa," adiantou a advogada Laura Rotolo, da ACLU de Massachusetts. "Muitos imigrantes nunca estiveram presos antes. Não conhecem as regras escritas e subentendidas. Não sabem como lidar com a violência. Têm muito medo e não reagem bem."

Lutar contra o sistema jurídico      Monte, que nasceu em Ponta Delgada, Açores, diz que decidiu compartilhar publicamente a sua experiência porque quer que "as pessoas saibam como somos tratados na prisão" enquanto os reclusos tentam navegar o complexo sistema jurídico para evitar a deportação.      Monte foi detido pelo Departamento de Segurança Interna (DHS) em Novembro de 2007. O DHS alegou inicialmente que era deportável porque tinha sido condenado de agressão em 1987 e em 2007.      Monte disse que recebeu uma sentença suspensa de 1 ano pelo incidente de 1987. Ele alega também que pediu emprestado um carro em 1988, mas acabou por ser acusado de furto, tendo recebido uma sentença de liberdade condicional por três anos.      Ele explicou ainda que a condenação em 2007 resultou de uma briga em 2003, pela qual foi sentenciado a 11 meses de cadeia, dos quais teve que cumprir cinco.      Adiantou ainda que a sua experiência com a ICE começou quando estava prestes a terminar a sua sentença em 2007.      De acordo com a Lei Anti-Terrorismo de 1996, qualquer residente permanente legal que é condenado a uma sentença superior a um ano, mesmo que esta seja suspensa, pode ser deportado. A lei também é muitas vezes aplicada retroactivamente, como no caso de Monte.      Nos últimos 18 meses, Monte contestou junto da Imigração a decisão de repatriamento, quer em pessoa ou via vídeo-conferência. Ele descreve o processo como sendo "agonizante" porque tinha de simultaneamente viver com a incerteza sobre se voltaria a reunir-se à sua família ou receber autorização para permanecer no país que considerava ser sua casa.      "Sinto que este é que é o meu país, é tudo o que conheço," salientou.      A Adv. Rotolo salientou que a ICE tem tendência a usar a detenção como forma a dificultar a permanência dos indivíduos neste país.      "É algo que é muito comum, infelizmente," sublinhou. "O governo usa a detenção para compelir as pessoas a abdicar dos seus direitos porque muitas não são tão fortes como o Paulo e não conseguem permanecer sob a detenção da Imigração, onde as condições são cruéis. Muitas vezes as pessoas dizem, 'Nem pensar. Não vou lutar contra o meu caso. Assinarei o que quiserem; mas deportem-me agora."      O advogado Roberto Gonzalez, de East Providence, R.I., especializado na defesa de casos da Imigração, informou que a maioria dos problemas jurídicos de Monte se devem ao facto do mesmo não ter recebido representação legal adequada na altura.      "Em alguns casos, ele compareceu em tribunal sem advogado e fez o que foi preciso para não ser preso... isso significa que aceitou responsabilidade por algo que não devia," explicou o Adv. Gonzalez. "Ele nunca foi informado sobre os seus direitos e deveria ter sido representado por um advogado. Nunca lhe foi dito que poderia contestar o caso e que se se declarasse culpado, poderia ser deportado. As suas declarações de culpado, pelo menos na minha opinião, não foram válidas porque não conhecia os seus direitos."      O Adv. Gonzalez disse que ajudou Monte e encontrar um advogado em Massachusetts que o ajudasse a anular esses casos.      "Conseguimos anular as condenações e o juiz da Imigração decidiu que ele não poderia ser deportado," explicou o Adv. Gonzalez. "Tivemos que fazer isto duas vezes porque a Imigração tentou deportá-lo outra vez com a mesma condenação."      Isto fez com que o caso se tornasse muito interessante, salientou o advogado.      "Eu defendi que o governo estava errado ao usar a mesma acusação, visto que o caso já tinha sido decidido em relação ao mesmo assunto," disse o advogado. "O juiz, após analisar e investigar o caso, determinou que ele não poderia ser alvo da mesma acusação. Ele terminou o caso, pela segunda vez, e isentou o recurso. Paulo livrou-se finalmente deste pesadelo."      Contudo, Monte salienta que o pesadelo ainda não acabou completamente.      "Estou confuso e preocupado," adiantou. "Interrogo-me se me vão apanhar outra vez."      A Adv. Rotolo adiantou que a ACLU está presentemente a trabalhar com a nova administração para "tentar melhor as coisas" para os reclusos da ICE.      "Esperamos conseguir alguma reforma imigratória no Congresso. Mas trata-se de um assunto com duas partes: a reforma da lei e a maneira como a lei é cumprida. Para que as leis escritas sejam cumpridas de uma forma justa e humana. Isso não está a acontecer agora."      Finais "felizes" como o de Monte não acontecem frequentemente, advertiu.      "A maioria dos imigrantes não tem advogado e sem advogado é muito difícil ganhar-se estes casos," frisou. "A maioria dos imigrantes é deportada."      Apesar de tudo, Monte diz considerar-se afortunado.      "Sinto que tive sorte. Nunca desisti e a minha família apoiou-me," adiantou. Source:  OJornal.com  and  GateHouse Media, Inc.

Copyright 2009 New England Ethnic Newswire, EthnicNEWz.org.  All rights reserved.  This material may not be republished, rewritten, broadcast or distributed without the permission of the source.  Inquire or send press releases to NEWz at EthnicNews (at) yahoo (dot) com.