This annotated version of Souleye Ball’s poem provides cultural references and context for people who aren’t familiar with Mauritanian history, culture, geography, and U.S. immigration policy. It offers a deeper level of understanding of the poem, and we invite you to listen to his delivery as well.

Margarita Asicona Avilés, an Ixil woman from Homestead, Florida, has been held for days in a local jail — separated from her children — without an appropriate interpreter to explain what is happening, or help her communicate with attorneys and the court. She is facing criminal charges, and possibly deportation and the loss of custody of her children. The confusion and terror Ms. Asicona Avilés must feel, without being able to fully express herself, is unimaginable.

Abdoulaye Thiaw, a leader in OIA’s #ReuniteUS campaign to raise the visibility of people who were deported, issued a video invitation here. Although he can’t be there in person, he wants the entire community to attend and support this vital organization. This is the work we do at the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, and with your support, we can continue doing it. Thank you!

Margarita Asicona Avilés, an Ixil woman from Homestead, Florida, has been held for days in a local jail, separated from her children, without an interpreter to explain what is happening, or help her communicate with attorneys and the court. She is facing criminal charges, and possibly deportation and the loss of custody of her children. The confusion and terror Ms. Asicona Avilés must feel, without being able to fully express herself, is unimaginable.

CAIR-Ohio’s Columbus and Cincinnati Office honored OIA’s Executive Director, Lynn Tramonte, with the Trailblazer Award. The Honorable Cori Bush gave a keynote speech at the banquet.

View photos and Tramonte’s video and statement here.

Police officers Donald Kopchak and Daniel Lajack were indicted in Medina County on two counts of third-degree felony abduction, one count of fifth-degree felony ethnic intimidation, and a first-degree misdemeanor count of assault due to their commission of a hate crime in Hinckley Township. Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance and a native of Medina County, issued the following statement.

Listen to Mustapha Komeh talk about his time at the Butler County Jail in these testimonies, recorded in August 2025