A Sad and Sick System Finally Frees Four More

Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Sr. walked from Abilene to Haskell in solidarity with the Hazahza family. In the following email he responds to news that four of five family members have been released.–gm

Hey amigos…

You’ve endured a lot of e-mails about the “for profit” prison camps. As you know…we put a lot of focus on the Hazahza family. Tonight…we rejoice that four more of their family free.
Many people protested and fought for their “liberty and justice”. They never really got “liberty and justice”. The fact is that they endured 6 months of inhumane treatment in a prison camp…being incarcerated with convicted felons. They never committed a crime and were never charged with a crime. Yet they endured…and they are once again free.

Bush, Chertoff, ICE and the Emerald “for profit” prisons, along with Texas legislators and Washington insiders, county officials…all corruptly profited off of their incarceration. It is a sad and sick system when the Governor of Texas and his own hometown folk would profit from this atrocity and protect the corruption.

It’s interesting that the youngest son, Ahmad, was wrongfully incarcerated in this adult prison at the age of 17. When the error was realized, he was put in solitary confinement. While there, he became ill and was mocked by the guards and refused medical treatment. The daughters were subjected to violations of their bodies.

Vigils were held in their behalf. Asma Salam, MD, stood outside of the Federal Courthouse at 1100 Commerce in Dallas everyday for over the past month and a half. Patricia Juarez joined her. Josh Bardavid, a NY attorney argued aggressively in their behalf. The federal judge scolded the federal attorneys for having no case against them…and scolded Homeland Security for committing offenses that in themselves were not legal.

Ralph Isenberg and his assistant, Jose De La Rocha tried to pull all the strings they could. Brett Shipp of WFAA in Dallas repeatedly reported on the case. Even Dr. Javier Iribaran from California came out to walk in protest to this crime. Reza Barkhordari, Suzi’s fiance, took care of his future mother-in-law during all this time. And Greg Moses of http://www.texascivilrightsreview.org had the story on his front page since February. All to no avail.

According to our current unconstitutional laws…ICE can detain an immigrant for up to six months without cause…without due process. Damned convenient for the cronies of the Bush administration who own stock in “for profit” prisons like Emerald’s Haskell prison camp…and CCA’s Hutto prison camp where the mother and youngest son were imprisoned and separated from the rest of the family.

In the end, Chertoff and ICE virtually snubbed us Americans and Texas citizens who have been deeply grieved over such atrocities. I am personally committed to seeing that each and every corrupt and complicit person be held responsible for these crimes that are being committed against members of our human family like the Hazahza, Ibrahims and the some 30,000 more that we don’t even know about. The real felons are the ones who have committed these crimes against the Hazahzas. They just have not been charged yet. But their day is coming. From the guards to the county judge and commissioners, the councilmen and the state and national officials who all receive money form this corrupt scheme.

The only real victory is that the Hazahzas have not been deported…yet. I hope they are allowed to stay in our country. I hope that they choose to stay in our country. I hope that they realize that most Americans do not even know what atrocities our current administration is committing…and that once we do know…we are willing to stand up along side them and in their behalf…in solidarity. I wouldn’t blame them if they choose to get the hell out of this tyrannical atmosphere. Yet, that would be a grievous loss…for we need an America whose future includes decent families like the Hazahzas.

Enough of the racist, supremacist elitists!!! Their arrogant power will be stripped from them…in the same way that they keep trying to strip us of our freedoms…and strip those who come to this country of their dignity. The end of that tyranny is soon.

Now…let’s free all of the children and their mothers who are victims of this same tyrannical regime in the ICE/CCA run Hutto prison camp…

Jay