A Sleeping Tiger Awakened: An Immigration Story

By: Starlet Tetteh

On July 9th I helped put on an Immigrant Know your Rights Program in Charlotte with the AFSC.  It felt good educating my self and others on how the immigration legal system works in North Carolina.  Little did I know someone dear to me would become a victim of the system.  

When I heard my friend had been taken by ICE I was confused.  Yes they are an immigrant but they are also apart of my community.  I thought to myself, you can’t take them away! Whenever I saw my friend on Guilford College campus they would always joke with me.  Even though they are only a couple years older than me they have wisdom.  They would always call me their daughter and ask me how school was going and tell me how important it is to keep going with my education.  They would then tell me an elaborate story that they said was true and had a moral somewhere in it but was mostly just ridiculously hilarious.  Guilford is known for their bonfires and when they would grace us with their presence at one they would always turn the atmosphere into one of a campfire story time.  Everyone knows them and loves them.  

I remember doing an Islamophobia program with AFSC at New Garden Friends Meeting for the youth.  They were there to help out and as soon as they stepped into the room the children swarmed to them  I didn’t have to introduce my friend because they all knew exactly who that person was.  

The community was tense, upset, and saddened by the detaining of my friend  We all used a Facebook group to keep in the loop and help out however we could. All of the procedures I had learned about in the know your rights training were applied in their case.  Unfortunately ICE was not following their own rules.  My friend was moved several times, and initially denied access to their attorney.  Only because of an out-pour of community support, dedication, and perseverance of church, friends.  and family, that they were not immediately deported. In our office we see many cases but this was the first time that it was a close friend.  

I am grateful that my friend is here at home.  It is nice to hear a success story amongst so many stories that are sad and silenced.  This is one of several stories of detainees that we need to lift up and work around.  A community is only as strong as the people in it.  Let us stand with one another and work to keep our community members safe.