"He has not been summoned to appear in court; he is going as an observer for the pro-immigrant organization American Friends Service Committee. He has been doing this since May, when the first reports of immigrants being seized by ICE agents in immigration courts surfaced, including violent scenes and families being separated by masked officers. In a waiting room where several grave-looking individuals are holding folders filled with papers, the hearing calendar is taped to the wall."
"Then he chooses, enters one of the courtrooms quietly and sits in the back row. Over the past few months, he has witnessed how the immigration court has become a macabre machine perfectly orchestrated to trap people who have applied for asylum and attend their hearings in good faith. Their cases are dismissed at the request of government prosecutors, and as they leave the courtroom, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are waiting to arrest them in the hallway."
William Botsch commutes daily from Broward County to Miami immigration court as a volunteer observer for the American Friends Service Committee. He scans hearing calendars, selects dockets and watches proceedings from the back row. He has observed reports of immigrants being seized in courts, violent scenes and masked officers separating families. He reports that cases of asylum-seekers are often dismissed at prosecutors' request, after which ICE agents wait in hallways to arrest attendees as they leave. Botsch provides voluntary court support and aid to detainees' families and offers direct insight into a chaotic system that traps vulnerable asylum applicants.
Read at english.elpais.com
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