"The story of a Palestinian refugee stuck in ICE detention is a tragic illustration of this absurdity. Earlier this week, 10 countries recognised Palestinian statehood. With them, the number of UN member states recognising Palestine as a state have reached 157 out of 193. This means the vast majority of the world accepts the Palestinians have a state. And yet they continue to be treated as if they do not, with many experiencing the soul-crushing reality of statelessness at borders and in immigration detention."
"As a freelance English-Arabic interpreter with Respond Crisis Translation, I frequently support asylum seekers in detention. I have seen firsthand what it is to be a Palestinian stuck in the increasingly inhumane US immigration system. I met Mohammad (not his real name) while interpreting during his legal proceedings, and over time I interpreted for him on multiple occasions as his lawyer sought to secure his release from detention by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)."
"The cruelty was so relentless that he went on a hunger strike when he stopped eating, the voice of his hunger was his loudest and only voice, a desperate plea for release. His hunger strike was more than a refusal of food. It was a refusal of invisibility. A body breaking itself to be heard. He reported being humiliated, placed in solitary confinement, and subjected to psychological pressure during his hunger strike."
A majority of UN member states recognise Palestinian statehood, yet Palestinians continue to suffer statelessness at borders and in immigration detention. A freelance English-Arabic interpreter works with asylum seekers and documents the experience of a Palestinian named Mohammad. Mohammad fled Gaza before intensified conflict but encountered kidnapping, robbery, and refusal of recognition in transit countries. Upon reaching the US, Mohammad entered ICE detention, endured humiliation, solitary confinement, and psychological pressure, and undertook a hunger strike as a protest and a desperate plea for release. The case highlights severe human rights and immigration-system failures affecting Palestinians.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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