“The inside view” (Vol 4): A simple sandwich

When we reach out to our immigrant partners, one of the most common concerns we here is that they do not receive enough food to make it through the day. During a recent video visit, a partner held up their dinner to the camera to show two simple sandwiches made of white bread and a couple slices of deli meat, along with a packaged cookie. The partner shared that this is breakfast and dinner most days.

To supplement their meals, they are told to buy more at the commissary. There, they may purchase junk food out of pocket, often at a cost that exceeds the average market value by over 300%. For folks with health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc., the available food options are even more limited and potentially dangerous to their health. We have pulled some sample costs directly from the commissary site:

Noodlerama – $25.53*
*For comparison, in-store Ramen noodles – $3.68 for a pack of 12

• 1 – Bowl with Lid
• 2 – Plastic Spoon
• 10 – Saltine Crackers (D-K)
• 8 – Noodles Chicken
• 8 – Noodles – Spicy
• 8 – Noodles Chili

Some sample costs of other items:

• V05 Shampoo – $3.08 ($.98 in store)
• Ibuprofen – $.51 for 2 pills
• 1 White T-shirt – $5.27 (larger than XL costs $9.01)

Folks are expected to make up the difference if they’re hungry, pay for hygiene items, buy new underwear if they don’t want to reuse past inmates’ pairs, pay monthly fees to access a communication tablet, use headphones to use said tablet, and much, much more. If they cannot pay, they go without.

M’s story*

*The name has been changed to protect the individual’s identity; they shared their story with one of our volunteers to be told here.

M was born in 1999 in a rural province in his Central American country. He is one of his parents’ younger children that include 5 brothers and 11 sisters. His siblings have also fled the country, some in Panama and other places. Both of his parents are in poor health – his mother with gallbladder problems and his father with a heart condition. He has not been able to contact them during his time in detention and worries about them.

Currently, he has been in detention for 6 months, longer than any of the other detainees with him. He thanks God for seeing him through this time.

When the political unrest erupted in his country, M was involved in a march, seeking human rights, education, jobs, etc. He was attacked and injured. He showed me the scar on his chest. After being treated in a hospital, he fled the country, entering the US in early August, where he was arrested and held for 37 days in Arizona. He was released on parole with the understanding that he had a year to get asylum. When he went to court in October, the building was closed. Although he gave them his address and phone number, he did not receive notification about how to proceed.

I’m not sure how he got to Indiana. Once here, he was picked up for speeding and held for 10 days. He was released on bail but then picked up by ICE.

He broke down and cried when remembering companions who have died in his home country, leaving families to grieve. Others have been tortured. He fears the same if he is returned home. It is hard for him to think about his family back home. He also says that he has seen people “go crazy” in jail, especially if they have no contact with family. He tries to comfort other detainees and expressed gratitude for Indiana AID people who have been of support to himself and other detainees.

M was finally deported after spending more than seven months in detention. He contacted me from his home country and said he had spent time with his parents and his girlfriend. After seeing them, he left for another Central American country.

Immigration snapshots

• On Tuesday, 2/21, the Biden administration proposed a new asylum transit ban
• Once the regulation is formally published, the public will have 30 days to comment on the proposal.
• It will generally deny asylum to migrants who show up at the southern border without first seeking protection in a country they passed through. They also must apply for an asylum appointment through the smartphone app, CBP One.
• “AILA condemns this ban against vulnerable asylum seekers… This ban is unnecessary. Solutions exist to ease the strain at the Southern Border without resorting to tactics undermining our values. This ban is illegal; federal law requires the federal government to ensure that people fleeing persecution have a fair and meaningful chance to claim asylum. This ban is dangerous: the countries through which people are fleeing are not ‘safe third countries’ by any stretch of the imagination, according to the U.S. State Department’s own reporting. A transit ban will undoubtedly lead to harm and even the deaths of men, women, and children.” Jeremy McKinney, president of American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
• Title 42 is currently expected to be lifted on May 11, the day the new asylum rule is slated to take effect.
• The proposed rule does not apply for unaccompanied children and allows for various humanitarian exemptions, including for migrants with acute medical conditions, human trafficking victims and those fleeing “imminent and extreme” danger.

Contact us

• email
• phone (voicemail only): 317-721-4044
• IndianaAID.org
• Facebook
• Instagram

Volunteer

Currently, our greatest needs are for…

1. Spanish-speaking visitation partners
2. Visitation partners who speak languages other than English and Spanish
3. Financial support/fundraising experience
4. Website and social media specialists

Donate

• Indiana AID is a volunteer group funded 100% by donations. Please consider a tax-deductible donation here.
• Shalom Mennonite Church is our fiscal sponsor – you will be taken to their site’s giving page where you will first select an amount to give and then choose the fund where you would like your money to go, “Indiana AID Fund.” None of the money donated to Indiana AlD goes to the church’s budget.
• You can also donate by sending a check to the church with “Indiana AID” in the memo line.
• Shalom Mennonite Church: 6100 E 32nd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46226