| Fr. Jean-Juste cries out, ‘Freedom for Nicole’ |
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| by Gerard Jean-Juste | |
| Tuesday, 01 January 2008 | |
 Supporters of Nicole Lewis, including her teenage children, rallied outside the immigration building in Miami on Dec. 28. “I have been without my mom for a while now. Every child needs their mother to pick them up, hold them and cherish them,” said her son, Felix Lewis. Photo: WSVN.com Arrest and miscarriage A mother of five healthy children, Nicole Lewis reported for an immigration court hearing in a downtown Miami office this past June. This African-American lady from Haiti was about four months pregnant. She lost the hearing and the judge ordered her taken away. On her way to detention, she charged that a guard treated her violently. She reminded him that she was pregnant. Instead of compassion, she received more savage treatment. She tried to protect the infant-to-be. Forget it. As the guard became nastier, he broke one of his fingers as he was hitting the pregnant lady. Mrs. Lewis did not receive proper medical care and consequently she miscarried. Her expected sixth child was reduced to heavy blood particles. This case reminds me of some of the stories about concentration camps. Forcefully sent to camp in Texas As one of the ongoing violations of refugees' human rights in Texas, Mrs. Lewis was sent to die in one of the detention camps in a remote area of that state. Last October, she managed to tell her story on a Haitian radio program. I heard her cry that pierced my heart. As I know these camp commanders are acting mercilessly these days, I've tried to deal with the issue with a low-profile approach. I have sent letters to concerned authorities and to some defenders of human rights. My first letter I addressed the first letter to Mr. Marc Moore, Field Office Director for Central Texas, 8940 Fourwinds Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78239. It's dated Oct. 25, 2007. Here is the content of it: Dear Mr. Moore, I am writing to request the humanitarian parole of Nicole Beatrice Lewis (A97-957-102), a woman from Haiti currently detained at the Port Isabel Service Processing Center. Mrs. Lewis is seeking asylum and is appealing her case to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). I believe that Mrs. Lewis is an excellent candidate for parole. Asylum seekers should be considered for parole if they can establish identity and community ties. Mrs. Lewis has already established her identity and clearly has broad community support. Leaders in South Florida's African-American and Haitian communities have shown an outpouring of support for her and are urging immigration officials to release her. They are doing so because Mrs. Lewis presents a particular compelling case for release for several reasons: First, Mrs. Lewis is married to a U.S. citizen, Myron Lewis, who resides in their home in Hollywood, Florida. She has five U.S.-born children. Makayla Monique Lewis, the baby, is 2 years old. Second, Mrs. Lewis has suffered both physically and mentally since being detained and separated from her family in June of this year and it is my understanding that her health is deteriorating as she claims she was abused and her baby aborted last June in a Miami detention center. Since she is currently in a Texas jail, she is far removed and purposely hidden from her family, attorney and support system. Pity this Black refugee woman, mother of five suffering children! Finally, asylum seekers like Mrs. Lewis should not be detained. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has determined that the detention of asylum-seekers is inherently undesirable and arbitrary. See UNHCR Revised Guidelines on Applicable Criteria and Standards Relating to the Detention of Asylum Seekers, February 1999. I urge you to parole this mother of five immediately.
With God's blessings, sincerely yours, Gerard Jean-Juste Second letter A month after the first letter, I begged some distinguished leaders to have pity for Nicole as Thanksgiving Day was approaching in the USA. No mercy! Veyeyo's support, Pastor St. Jean's support, Vatican speaks out Veyeyo, a grassroots South Florida Haitian community organization, renewed its support. The members are calling for more action. We held a press conference on Dec. 20, and then we started our first picket at the place where the pregnant lady was brutalized. Her children, her husband and her grandmother presented their plight to the public and appealed for Santa to bring Mrs. Lewis to the children as a Christmas present. Instead of a humanitarian gesture, more pressure was applied to the BIA (Board of Immigration Appeals), which delivered its rushed decision dismissing Mrs. Lewis' appeal. A second press conference was held with the support of another community in Broward, Florida, where the family lives. The Rev. Dieuseul St. Jean offered his support and demanded the release of Mrs. Lewis by New Year's Day as a present to the community and particularly to the children. A second picket was held at the Immigration Court at 333 South Miami Ave., Miami, Florida. The family is very grateful to all of you supporting freedom for Nicole. A few words from the head of the Vatican, His Holiness Pope Benedict the XVI, bring great hope. If there is no compassion, be ready for a long peaceful struggle! Justice for all!
Email Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste at
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Read about Fr. Jean-Juste's legendary life in "Disturbing the peace, in Haiti and New Orleans" by Brian Concannon, which will be posted as a web exclusive to www.sfbayview.com. |
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