Detention in America

[Nephissa]

Did anyone watch 60 minutes on Sunday? It talked about the human rights abuses and deaths of U.S. immigration detainees [denial of access to medical attention/refusal of medical treatment]. I have heard stories of remorseless abuse and torture many a times, but I have been absolutely appalled to hear that anything like this could happen to one of ours - a Somali girl.

 

One immigrant detained in 2007 was Amina Mudey. She fled Somalia after her father, brothers and sister were murdered. Amina landed in New York and requested political asylum.

 

"The medical treatment that Amina received was absolutely deplorable. Substandard, sanction-able, and flat out malpractice," says Ann Schofield Baker, Amina's lawyer.

 

Schofield Baker says Amina was detained in the former New Jersey warehouse facility and almost immediately was prescribed a powerful anti-psychotic drug called "Risperdal."

 

"How did she come to be on Risperdal to begin with? I mean, was she psychotic?" Pelley asks.

 

"Not even remotely psychotic," Schofield Baker says. "When Amina first arrived at the detention center she hadn't slept in two or three days. She hadn't eaten. She'd never been on a plane before. She was disoriented. They brought her to the facility shackled. She was absolutely petrified. And she collapsed and had a panic attack. From that, someone concluded that she was psychotic."

For a full excerpt check out this link.

[Jacaylbaro]

Poor girl ,, how is the feeling when you land in a country like America hoping to be with the other people, good life, money, etc and end up in a detention center with psychotic medicines. I'm glad she is doing great someone else wuu waalan lahaaba.