Letter to the Consulate - Living Condition of Etowah County Detention Center

The Embassy of ABC
Consular Section**** Massau Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008


August 21, 2007


To Whom It May Concern,

Greetings. This is Unknown Contributor (A#**-***-***), an ABC citizen detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) at Etowah County Detention Center in Alabama. I hope this letter find you well.

I am writing you this letter to you since I was recently not able to reach the Consulate General of ABC in Atlanta GA.via phone. Mr. XYZ at this office has been my direct contact to the Consulate, and he has been a tremendous help in this whole process. He has even mentioned that he has been keeping in close contact with my mother upon my progress.

It has come to that my detention here in the Etowah County has been getting tougher and tougher as the I.C.E. decides to delay on scheduling my flight. They have already obtained my valid passport in their possession and have varified my citizenship in ABC, and I signed the Final Order of Removal on the 17th of July, 2007 as well. However, they have not yet to proceed on actual deportation for well over 2 months now. (I have now been under I.C.E. custody for total of __ days now.) My Deportation Officer, K.Chasteen has not seen me, nor talked to me in any form since the 17th of July, 2007.

As I patiently wait for this draining procedure, not only it is taking a toll on me motionally, but also I believe that it is putting my mental, physical, and social health at serious risk. We, the detainees, are barely fed all throughout the day. The average estimate on our food intake is only about 1,200 calories; there is absolutely no fruit and raw vegetable in our diet, there is hardly ever any fish and meat served. For the last two months I have been here, they have served fish only twice. On average they serve meat products only up to 2 to 3 times a week. All meals are very small in portion. By any means do I believe that the portion they serve is adequate for any adult male nor female.

We do not have any direct exposure to the sun here, either. And we do not have any means for physical activities and exercises. The recreational room, which is only available one hour per day, is about 20 ft. by 30 ft. in size, there is no fitness equipment, nor recreational tools such as basketballs and soccer balls provided whatsoever.

Although every person here is detained for a reason such as our past records, I believe that the way we are treated here is unsuitable and inappropriate. I strongly believe we could even make a case to say that some things going on here are very close to being a violation of human rights. We are civil detainees, not cattles.

I desparately need your help. I wish to get back to ABC and to be united with my aging, widowed mother as soon as possible. I also wish to get back to my business and to start to be productive again just as I had always been before this detention.

Here is all the information I have of I.C.E. personnels directly relating to my case;
K. Chasteen – My Deportation Officer: 77 Forsyth St. SW Room G-81 Atlanta, GA. 30303; Phone (404)-331-2765 ext. 5436.
D. Rivera – K. Chasteen’s Supervisor: 77 Forsyth St. SW Room G-81 Atlanta, GA. 30303; Phone (404)-331-2765 ext. 5438.
Travel Unit Officers in charge of scheduling flights for deportees are;
B. Freeman – (404)-331-2765 ext. 5432.
T. Applegate – (404)-331-2765 ext. 5447.
C. Walters – (404)-331-2765 ext. 5409.

I was not able to verify of which officer above is actually in charge of booking my flight back to ABC. But I trust that this information is more than enough for you, the Embassy, to encourage U.S. I.C.E. to start moving forward with my case. If there is any question, please feel free to contact me at any time. I wish to hear from you very soon.



Yours truly,