Bonamici Statement on Visit to 123 Immigrant Detainees at Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan

On Saturday, Congresswoman Bonamici (OR-01) visited 123 detained men at a federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon, with Senators Wyden and Merkley and Congressman Blumenauer. Bonamici wrote about the conditions at the prison and described what detainees told her about their journeys and why they left home. Bonamici posted that statement in full on Medium.

Bonamici's statement on conditions for Sheridan detainees is excerpted below.

"We were there to see more than 120 men who came to the United States seeking a better life," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "Most were asking for asylum because they experienced violence or persecution in their home countries. Several had traveled to the border with a wife and a child or children; none knew where their family members are.

"First we spoke with Spanish speakers who were separated from their families. We asked them why they left their home countries and what they expected would happen to them if they were sent back. One man said that gangs had burned his property, which is a sign that they were going to come and kill him. He sought safety for himself and his family in the United States, but instead of getting an opportunity to make a case to an immigration judge, he was separated from his wife and child and incarcerated in a federal prison. One of the men we spoke with came here with his wife and two children, ages 5 and 18 months. They were separated at the border and he did not know where any of them were.

"The next group we spoke with was from India. This is the largest group of detainees being held in Sheridan. Through our Punjabi translator, we learned that these men were planning to request asylum because they faced severe religious persecution in India. Most are Sikh or Christian. Instead they were incarcerated in a federal prison. They said they came to the United States for religious freedom, but they felt as if they were "going crazy" because they are being confined in small cells for up to 22 hours a day. (They pointed out that the other non-immigrant prisoners get far more time out of cells.)

"A gay man from Honduras told me he was not accepted in his country, and feared for his life if he had to go back. Another Spanish-speaking man showed us where he had been shot, twice. When asked if he was able to see a doctor, he said no. Another man lifted his pant leg and showed us what looked like an open wound on his leg. He hadn't seen a doctor, either.

"Most of the men told us that they had not spoken with a lawyer who could explain their rights. Only one showed us a lawyer's business card. They said that it was hard to make calls; they either didn't have money for phone calls or didn't know who to call. One man said he was given a piece of paper with a lawyer's phone number, but it was with his clothes and they took his clothes away.

"These stories we heard were compelling and disturbing. These men were victims of horrific crimes or unbearable persecution. Instead of getting information about their rights to request asylum, they were treated as criminals.

"The United States of America was built by immigrants and has for centuries offered immigrants an opportunity to build a life with freedom and hard work. That's the American Dream. Today the Trump Administration and Attorney General Jeff Sessions are turning a blind eye to our nation's