When Jonas Mbonga crossed the border from Mexico to Texas in the summer of 2018, he thought it would be the end of a long and dangerous journey. Instead, it was the start of an even more difficult path 鈥� navigating the immigration detention system in the United States.
鈥淚 have no enemies,鈥� Mbonga said. 鈥淏ut if I did, I would tell them, don鈥檛 risk that experience.鈥�
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mbonga fled to Angola to escape an increasingly violent political situation. From there, he took a boat to Brazil, then traveled north by land to the United States.
When he reached the Texas border in July 2018, he was one of only a handful of people who were allowed to cross.
鈥淚 thought that meant I was safe,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut instead, they put me in prison while I applied for asylum.鈥�
He spent the next 21 months in immigration detention 鈥� an experience he said had long-reaching effects on his mental and physical health.
The immigration detention system: Unhealthy and unequal
Mbonga鈥檚 story is not unique. In 2019 alone, more than 500,000 immigrants were placed in immigration detention. (70%) of detained immigrants are held in privately-run, for-profit detention centers, like where Mbonga was held in Youngstown.
Many of those apprehended at the border are asylum seekers 鈥� fleeing violence, oppression or persecution in their home countries, according to by the American Immigration Council. To be allowed to stay in the United States, asylum seekers must pass an interview demonstrating that they have a credible fear of returning to their home countries. Those apprehended by (ICE) may be forced to wait for their interviews in detention centers. There, they often face unsanitary and unsafe living conditions, according to Freedom for Immigrants (FFI), a group that monitors the conditions facing immigrants detained by ICE.
Health Challenges
A report from Freedom for Immigrants indicates that the top complaint amongst people in immigration detention were
鈥淚 was always sick,鈥� Mbonga said. 鈥淚 was always taking medicine, and I couldn鈥檛 sleep.鈥�
He attributes much of his health struggles to the mental and emotional consequences of being imprisoned.
"All you have is the four walls around you, so you are always thinking, 'What鈥檚 going to happen? Good things or bad things?' I didn鈥檛 have any contact with my family, and they didn鈥檛 know that I was there.鈥�
He said he saw fellow detainees struggle through similar issues.
鈥淚 saw people go crazy. I saw one man commit suicide.鈥�
Mbonga said receiving healthcare from the prison was also a dehumanizing experience. Once, he was taken to the hospital, where he remained shackled to his bed while receiving care.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 wear a jumpsuit in prison, but when I went to the hospital, they made us wear the orange suit,鈥� he explained.
Accessing nutritious food was another challenge.
鈥淭he food was terrible and was always making me sick,鈥� recounted Mbonga. 鈥淵ou could buy food from the canteen, but the food was much more expensive than what it cost outside. Even toothpaste was expensive. I realized then that all of this was just a business.鈥�
Detaining undocumented immigrants is big business for the company that runs the jail where Mbonga was held, according to an investigation into from the publication Documented.
As the second largest for-profit prison provider in the United States, CoreCivic drew $579.4 million (29%) of its revenue in 2019 from contracts with ICE.
Unequal Impacts
The immigration detention system is not only detrimental to migrants鈥� lives but disproportionately impacts Black immigrants, a showed.
Black asylum seekers face higher rates of rejection of their asylum cases and are placed in solitary confinement at a rate six times higher than non-Black immigrants, according to the report.
They also face much longer periods in detention. While the average length of time in detention is 55 days, the report found that East African asylum seekers often spent much longer than that 鈥� with one asylum seeker from Rwanda spending 10 years in detention.
Getting Out
After two months in detention, Mbonga was able to connect with pro bono lawyers from .
鈥淐atholic charities serves detained migrants through three programs,鈥� wrote Maureen DeVito, one of Mbonga鈥檚 lawyers. 鈥淲e are listed as a 鈥榩ro bono provider鈥� for the Cleveland immigration court and the list is given to each detainee. Clients also reach us by word-of-mouth within the jails or from friends and family in the community. Prior to COVID, we also conducted regular 鈥楰now your Rights鈥� presentations at local jails.鈥�
Mbonga said his lawyers were crucial not only in helping him to get out but in maintaining hope while in prison.
鈥淭hey are like my second mothers,鈥� he said.
When Mbonga lost his first asylum case, a team of lawyers helped him file for an appeal. His appeal was rejected by the judge and after 17 months in Youngstown, Mbonga was moved to in Chardon. There, he said his mental and physical health continued to deteriorate.
鈥淎t one point, I decided I couldn鈥檛 wait anymore,鈥� Mbonga said. 鈥淏ut my lawyers encouraged me.鈥�
In March 2020, Mbonga said he found an unlikely rescue through COVID-19. Mbonga鈥檚 legal team filed an affidavit stating that his health would be at risk if he contracted the virus, allowing Mbonga to be released.
A Community of Support
Mbonga is still waiting on the results of his appeal. In the meantime, he鈥檚 living in Cleveland Heights, where he has both found and contributed to a community of support for asylum seekers and immigrants. He also connected with friend and neighbor Joan Lederer, who helped him find training courses in welding, and , a local group providing support to migrants.
鈥淥nce Mbonga was released, AMIS worked with several area faith organizations to put together funds to cover his rent and living expenses for two full years,鈥� AMIS president Anne Hill wrote in an email.
She emphasizes Mbonga is playing a positive role in the Cleveland Heights community.
鈥淛onas has given back by working at the 鈥檚 food pantry, by delivering food and other goods to a family being supported by AMIS, and by serving as a translator for other AMIS recipients,鈥� she says.
If someone you know is detained in immigration detention, detainees contact Catholic Charities鈥� intake department at 216- 939-3769 or by email. Please be sure to include a name, alien number, and a good contact to reach out to outside of the jail. People interested in connecting with AMIS can contact them through the organization鈥檚 .
Read part two in the series here. For more about how we produced this series click here:
This project is part of Connecting the Dots between Race and Health, a project of 海角破解版 and funded by the Dr. Donald J. Goodman and Ruth Weber Goodman Philanthropic Fund of .