Many greetings from prison, hoping things come out with much success.

About a week ago I decided to seek refuge in a place that I thought would be better. Ultimately, after a week I began to ask that they pull me out of there. It was a terrible place; sitting and laying down all day and night, I frightened myself all alone. I saw myself face to face, which was the positive part, but my patience out. I began speaking to everyone that I saw passing by the small window and everyone tried to translate for me. My stress and depression, as I said, was frightening. There were many people in the area with various-severe mental problems. This place does nothing to help them. They spend the entire time talking to themselves and to others and banging on the doors incessantly. There was no communication between the detainees and the officials. At any rate, I got to know this blessed place.

Now I’ve moved to a different bunk room. I see that it is very calm. We chat a lot with our bunk mates, and I was finally to have a peaceful night. Now time will continue to pass again.

I had miss understood the date of the next court appearance. It was not for May 28, but for May 20, which got canceled. I think that the fingerprinting process is another process with which I am not too familiar.

But many that are passing through here suggest to me that I get another lawyer, or make the one I have be more aggressive (those that identify with my case). But I continue hoping that this will soon be over. I am going to write once more to the lawyer that he should come by here soon so we can discuss what we should do. Hopefully he responds. They are pushing back the hearing quite a bit, which causes me to lose hope. I don’t have much to do. I handed in some documents to the lawyer at the Houston court in April, but he told me, “No more documents!” That with what we have is enough. But I feel that it’s necessary for my release, and we haven’t really touched on the subject with him.

Various problems are arising in the community [in Guatemala] during my absence. They are of a financial nature related to two projects that I had committed myself to begin working on, but they have ground to a halt. The death of the father of [one of our team] has left a debt of over Q 100,000.00 ($1 = 27.50 quetzales) which is over $10,000.

Now I’ve found out that the court appearance has been scheduled for June 24.

I hope everything is going well for you.

Today I write to you from my solitude. About a month ago or less, a guy came to the bunk room and chose a spot close to my own. His intentions were nothing good, as in my toughest moments he was really getting to me, but I waited a long time to act because I thought that he too came with his frustrations. He came about a month ago and he does not leave me in peace, with insults, very offensive words against me…

I was considering reporting him, but there was really no one I could tell. The majority of the officials here are quite immature when they come into the bunk room to leave food or something else. There visits are accompanied by insults of obscene words, shouts and mockery, after which nothing ever happens. They don’t even speak Spanish (There are bilingual detainees, but I don’t trust them). Tired, I sought to get out of the bunk room for an hour a day for two weeks in the legal library just to escape all of this.

Last Tuesday, I went to mass for the first time since I’ve been here… I took advantage of the visit of an official in the bunk room after my work, to report that I am sick of my cell mates and other problems and that I want to change cells, which really surprised him. He returned, and I entered the bunk room and organized my things. I spoke with two friends whom I get along with well and with a third, but he was fast asleep. One of my friends was also very surprised that I told him: “they’re probably going to move me to a different room,” and one of them asked me to advocate for more order in this place and to find a way to report the violence in the form of beatings that happen between the leaders of the gangs that live next among us.

That’s when I went and broke the silence. They took me to an ICE official. I asked for my immediate removal from that cell, and they took me to the infirmary and left me in a room for just one person with certain privileges to come and go… the truth is that I was called upon to report the incident, and then the female director of ICE told me that I would not return to that cell, after an intense conversation. She told me that the officials would go back there to get my belongings and bring them to my new place, and that is what happened.

The strange thing is that at 1:00 am 3 officials came to speak with me regarding a coffee maker that I and a Salvadoran guy had bought when we first came here. They said that the machine now belonged to me because the other guy was already deported back to El Salvador, but I had put said coffee maker in the service of everyone. I explained this to the officials, and they understood. After an hour or more, three different officials showed up to question me about my exit from the cell, because some of the inmates were beating on the window violently demanding their coffee maker back. I dared to tell the officials that they are the ones responsible for imposing order in that bunk room, not me. I can gift the coffee maker to them and it costs me nothing to do so, but that the violence in this cell should stop because there are victims in there. And if they want to question so and so (I gave them three other names) well they can do it immediately. So the officials left and didn’t come back.

It’s a very nice story, now that it’s over. I am also writing with more details to our lawyer. I also wrote to him six days ago…

That’s all, Adam, may God bless you.

What’s up my friend? I hope that you are doing well with your health and with your worthy task of supporting the community in Minneapolis. Well, I just had my birthday on February 2. Thank heavens I’m doing well. I’ll also share with you that I did not go to court on February 5th. I’m not sure what happened, but what I could find out is that the court date has been rescheduled for the 28th of this month. I guess that they are deliberating and there was no need for me to appear, or perhaps they arbitrarily changed the date of my scheduled appearance.

Well, that’s life, but I’d like you to send on the following messages to [some contacts in Minnesota and Guatemala].

Well, here I am writing again, since last Friday they intended to move us to a different site in Texas. Though at first, it didn’t work out. They simply took us on a few trips in the ICE vans and soon returned us to our bunk room as usual. I lost my bottom bunk and got bumped to the top after an extremely exhausting night of waiting on the sidewalks and the cement ground. Then the same thing occurred again yesterday. They advised, as before, to get ready to go, and this time it was a great uncertainty for everyone. A couple of Guatemalan guys were thinking they might send us to Livingston, TX, another detention center slightly different from Houston. At least there was a bit of communication from the immigration officials in Houston, but they didn’t let us know exactly where we were headed; into another situation that withholds its services as a prison does.

This time, we waited nearly all day to travel and were extremely uncomfortable all night without sleeping. But I guess it was a process that had to happen. Now we’re in a smaller place with Guatemalans and a few Hondurans. I also want to tell you a bit about the situation among the Guatemalans. They are very sad here as they recount terrible stories of how they came crossing the border. Most of them are people that have recently been trying to stay in the U.S. and have not been able to. Among the group are some that have managed to start a small business, but have now lost everything due to their detention. Others have left their apartments abandoned with all of their personal belongings. There are also people that have been graced with a chance of refugee or asylum cases that have gone unresolved for several years. Among the 30 Guatemalans in this place, there is a considerable number with this problem.

I complained yesterday of a pain in my wrist since my bike [in summer 2007] accident that’s been bothering me for the past few days. They gave me a bottom bunk. Tonight, they came and gave me some medicine for the sharp pains in my wrist.

I was in court this morning. I didn’t want to listen to my heart that was trying to tell me something the day before. My lawyer wasn’t present, and the hearing was conducted through a video screen. According to the court’s communication, my lawyer was not there for reasons unrelated to my case, but the judge told me that he had arranged a date for the final hearing on April 29.

The judge asked me if I would like for him to arrange to have an interpreter in my native Mayan language at that hearing. I decided against it and said that Spanish would be fine, since I’m not sure if it might just end up delaying the process. I am not sure how well they deal with these intercultural realities. I respect the U.S. justice system, but it remains so distant from my indigenous community life.

Finally, the judge informed me that we would have a joint communication with my lawyer. I had expected that this hearing would present results from my previous court appearance, or even what had been previously promised, the final ruling or at least a bail amount. However, that was not to be. At least I have another court date scheduled with the immigration judge.

What’s up!

As the months have passed since the beginning of our project, I’ve had a recurring dream in which we carefully follow the germination of a seed placed in Mother Earth, as each of us meaningfully waits and achieves the culmination of the growth process. I too will do my part, this thing that I find difficult at times, but this is also my opportunity to continue serving in helping in whatever ways that I can.

The energy of each of you encourages me greatly. I know as well that each one is with me and accompanies me. Thank you for sharing your human warmth and your solidarity. You are all my brothers and sisters, you are my fathers and mothers, and my great family.

Regarding my case in this detention center, on this date that I am writing to you, I am trying to anticipate the meeting with our lawyer in order to be ready (in my court appearance). I am taking
this event very seriously, and you are all behind me in this situation along with the humble people and the seed of my community in this hurdle for justice, that my voice may be heard as one that comes fighting for change in the context of our own differences and peculiarities as humans and citizens of the 21st century.

Thank you for your support and that of our beloved group in Minnesota. May God help us with many ideas to escape from problems and give us the strength to continue in this great gift of life. I am sure that the snow is splendid and beautiful in MN announcing the imminent arrival of “Christmas,” in which many prepare themselves with reflections regarding this event, in your case at El Milagro Church.

I add my humble voice to the patchwork of this mystery that speaks of a child, son of the Most High that was born in a poor manger, of a beloved son and King of Kings, whose kingdom was service.

To Bethlehem they come and go walking
To Bethlehem they come and go asking.

To Bethlehem no one walks alone
The path is our brother.

Many greetings from Houston! I hope that you are doing well with our friends in Minneapolis, MN. Well, I don’t have much to say. The only thing that comes to mind is that each victory in life has a price to pay, from which we cannot turn back. We are not attempting to harm anyone. We only want to construct a small hope, a petal of Peace, and a leaf of opportunity.

Also, I want to apologize personally, since perhaps I am asking a lot from you as you’ll understand, either because of negiligence or other reasons, that I have not learned much about U.S. culture. This makes me a bit like a Summer sunflower in the immense darkness. However, I am very grateful for your tireless struggle to promote our project in Guatemala. I might as well thank you as well for your support of my own humble personage, accompanying me with your energy en Guatemala and here as well.

Here I send you the following proposal to be carried out expeditiously in Guatemala. Please transcribe the following message and send it by email to our contacts in Guatemala.

I share with everybody a big hug. I’ll see you soon.