American Gateways executive director tells a client story
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 12:34PM The Story of Mykel, A Child Whose Family Has Been Helped by American Gateways
This is the story of one of American Gateways’ clients. I’ll call him Mykel, though that is not his real name.
Mykel fled his home country with a family member because they were being persecuted, even receiving death threats, because of their religious beliefs. When they arrived in the United States, they immediately contacted immigration officials and asked for asylum. Immigration officials immediately locked them up in an immigrant detention center.
That’s where we first Mykel, at the T. Don Hutto immigrant detention facility in Taylor. He was two years old at the time. He turned three during the 7 months he and his mother were held in this facility, which until recently was used to imprison entire immigrant families and now houses only women.
Just after Mykel turned three, an American Gateways attorney represented Mykel and his family before the San Antonio immigration court, and the judge granted them asylum.
Mykel’s family did not get to celebrate though. The Immigrations and Customs Prosecutor immediately appealed the judge’s decision, as they almost always do with favorable asylum decisions these days. They put the shackles back on Mykel’s mother’s wrists and ankles and transported them back to the Hutto facility.
A few days later, we held a conference call with that ICE prosecutor, during which he decided to withdraw the appeal and admitted the request for asylum was valid. We think part of his change of heart might have had something to do with the call he had gotten from a reporter earlier that day. How that reporter found about Mykel’s story remains shrouded in mystery, as does how she got that ICE Prosecutor’s direct office phone number.
Today, Mykel lives in Chicago, where his mother has a great job. Mykel, now 4, is brushing up his English in preparation for beginning kindergarten.
We know this, because a couple of weeks ago, we got a letter from Mykel’s mom letting us know how they are doing. Paper clipped to the letter was a check for $1,000, a contribution to, as Mykel’s mom put it, help us help others like her Mykel.
by Chris Jimmerson, American Gateways Executive Director
