"After his arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in June, Pineda, a Honduran immigrant, spent four miserable days in immigration detention at Federal Plaza in Manhattan, sleeping on a concrete floor without sufficient food or a shower. Next, he was transferred to a detention center in Brooklyn, where staff treated him like a criminal, he says, though he'd lived in the country, working as a delivery driver, for 14 years."
"A month later, ICE officials presented him with voluntary departure papers. He says they told him that he'd be flown free of charge to Honduras and ICE would pay him $1,000. Plus, he'd be able to come back to the United States legally at a later date. Pineda says they told him that if he refused, he'd be held months longer and he'd end up deported anyway. Desperate for relief, he signed the form on 25 July."
A Honduran immigrant endured harsh detention conditions, including sleeping on a concrete floor without adequate food or hygiene, and was transferred between facilities. ICE presented voluntary departure papers offering a free flight, a $1,000 payment, and the possibility of future legal return, while warning of longer detention or forced deportation if refused. The immigrant signed the form expecting payment and a fresh start, yet experienced additional detention. Records show $1,000 wire payments were sometimes sent to migrants who left voluntarily, but payments were inconsistently delivered, misdirected, or promised to individuals who were not eligible.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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