Family Seeking Asylum in Canada Become Illegal Immigrants in a Texas Prison

A family from Iran, seeking asylum, was flying to Canada, when someone on the plane died, and the pilots chose to make an emergency landing in Puerto Rico. This family, from Iran, did not continue onto Canada when the rest of the passengers did, but instead sit inside a Corrections Corporation of America jail cell because they did not have an American passport. They were not flying to America, and did not expect to land in Puerto Rico, but the husband, wife and nine-year-old child were transferred to the T. Don Hutto Correctional facility in Taylor, Texas, nonetheless.

The family recounted their trip on Democracy Now on Friday. The transcript you can see here.

This disgusting story brings up many issues, including the number one issue, why is the United States taking such steps when the family did not have anything to do with the U.S. But also why is a nine-year-old, given the name Kevin during the interview, sitting in a prison cell? The detention center the family was thrown into holds illegal immigrants, and so they sit while they wait to be deported, presumably.

The idea of a child sitting in cold conditions next to “a washroom” should highlight how bad the prison really is. Kevin also has asthma and has become ill because of the lack of treatment. The immigration services needs to quickly deal with this display of unnecessary power. Whether they get asylum in the U.S or released to Canada, where they already received asylum status, something needs to happen because they are not illegal immigrants. They did not want to come to the U.S., so they should not be locked up as if they wanted to be here.