| Statement of a Formerly
Detained
Rwandan Refugee
 "When
I set foot on American soil, I had finally reached the land of liberty,
the land of peace, and I had a strong feeling of gratitude toward the
Most High who had allowed me to escape death and to reach a life of freedom..
After completing my statement [at the airport]. [an] officer arrived with
handcuffs. Then he handcuffed my wrists, but I sincerely thought this
was a case of mistaken identity. Later on he explained to me that this
was the established procedure. We left for [a county] prison. They put
me in a cell where it was really cold, and I had no blanket with me. The
idea of a land of liberty was beginning to be cast into serious doubt
in my mind.
After spending two days in this prison, I was transferred
to another prison, and before leaving they not only handcuffed my wrists
but also put shackles on my feet. Then they brought me to [an immigration]
Detention Center, where I am presently detained. My hope of a land of
liberty has been transformed into a nightmare. To this is added moral
suffering due to detention, for I do not know how long I will spend in
this detention center. It is as if I am living through a bad dream, and
soon will wake and finally reach this land of freedom that I still seek."
-Statement of Rwandan asylum seeker,
written in December 2001, on file with Human Rights First. This asylum
seeker, who was represented pro bono by volunteer lawyers through Human
Rights First, was later granted asylum.
Read
the full text of In Liberty's Shadow: U.S. Detention of Asylum Seekers
in the Era of Homeland Security
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