Can’t be there in person? Watch live online at Ohio Immigrant Alliance Instagram
WASHINGTON, DC — Deportation — permanent banishment from your family, community, and a life built over decades — is an extreme consequence for a paperwork problem, with life-altering harms. On June 11 at 11:45 am ET, family members of people who were deported, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, and Center for Law and Social Policy will host a public forum about the need for wider paths to return from deportation on Zone 8 of the Capitol Grounds.
Also that day, loved ones of people who were deported will deliver copies of Broken Hope: Deportation and the Road Home, a book about their experiences, to Congress. Members of the media and public can pick up copies of Broken Hope at the 11:45am event.
What: “Broken Hope: Deportation and the Road Home” public forum and book event
When: June 11, 2024, 11:45 am ET
Where: Capitol Grounds Zone 8 (corner of Constitution and First Street NE) – livestream @ohioimmigrantalliance on Instagram
Who: Selly Dia, Ohio Immigrant Alliance organizer; Sara and Wafaa “Yasmine” Hamdi, sisters of Tina Hamdi; Kadiata and Omar T., DC/MD-based relatives of Abdoulaye Thiaw; Ohio leaders Ibrahima Sow and Demba Ndiath; and Broken Hope co-authors Suma Setty, senior policy analyst at Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and Lynn Tramonte, director of OHIA
The following people who were deported are available for interview over WhatsApp: Boubou Koita (New York City/Mali); Tina Hamdi (Dayton/Morocco); Saidu Sow (Cincinnati/Mauritania); Abdoulaye Thiaw (Columbus/Mauritania).
Background
Broken Hope: Deportation and the Road Home is a book about the experiences, hopes, and dreams of more than 250 people who were deported, predominantly to Africa and primarily during the Trump administration. They want to be SEEN and HEARD in the immigration policy debate. Most importantly, they want to come home. The book was written by Lynn Tramonte and Suma Setty, with original research conducted by Maryam Sy. Audio executive summaries in French, English, and Fulani, as well as a sensory summary with audio and visual content, an Issue Brief, and an e-book are all available at reunite.us. Paperback copies of the book will be given out for free at the 11:45am public forum.
Broken Hope evolved from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance’s #ReuniteUS campaign to end the erasure of people who were deported, and advocate for changes that allow them to return to their lives in the United States. OHIA organizer Maryam Sy interviewed over 255 people who are part of this effort, the vast majority of whom are Black, Muslim men whose voices and experiences are rarely featured in media coverage on immigration issues.
It is critical that legislators advocate on behalf of these important members of our communities by cosponsoring bills that include pathways to return for people who have been deported and calling on the Biden administration to prevent further separations and promote family unity. An Issue Brief from the Center for Law and Social Policy includes more details on recommendations for Members of Congress and the Executive Branch.
Broken Hope relates little-known acts of courage, agency, bravery, and love carried about by people incarcerated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as during and after their deportations. The book also reveals that in the Trump era, deportations to Africa, the Caribbean, and Muslim-majority nations did indeed skyrocket, increasing 74, 48, and 38 percent respectively.
The men and women Sy interviewed had lived in 22 states and were deported to 27 countries. They had a median U.S. residency of 17 years, as well as families, businesses, homes, and careers they were forced to leave behind. The consequences of deportation for them and their families have been devastating. They include: homelessness, financial ruin, devastation to mental and physical health, death and self-harm; further incarceration at the hands of oppressive governments, fractured relationships, and so much more.
Return for some deported veterans has begun and, in a poll about support for Biden immigration actions to date, the policy was rated highest among all pro-immigrant policies tested.
Engage with the #ReuniteUS campaign on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using #ReuniteUS #ChanceToComeHome.
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