LatinaLista — For every child who knows of Santa, the countdown till he arrives is winding down.
Yet for the children who are being held at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas, and for the children whose parents are being processed for deportation, Christmas Day is going to feel more like the Grinch arrived.
Grinch
(Source: i4.photobucket.com)
Latina Lista has received word that some concerned citizens are going to throw a Christmas Eve vigil for the children in the Hutto concentration camp.
Jay J. Johnson-Castro, a South Texas human rights activist known for his 205-mile walk from Laredo to Brownsville to protest the proposed border wall, as well as, the walk from the Capitol in Austin to Hutto prison camp last week, came up with the idea of the vigil so as “not to forget the children over the holidays who are imprisoned there.”
Jay’s idea also struck a chord with two Austin flamenco dancers, Teye and Belen, who will perform at the vigil which will be held across the street from the facility.
The Vigil will be held on Dec 24, from 5-6pm at 1001 Welch St., Taylor, Texas (35 miles northeast of the Texas State Capitol).
According to Jay’s press release:
Teye and Belen will use their Flamenco talents to show their protest for the inhumane treatment of the inmates of Don Hutto Center in Taylor Texas, especially the 200 children that are imprisoned there. They will perform according to their best Gypsy Campfire traditions. Since there will be no campfire…it is requested that you bring your own candles.
Yet, these organizers of the vigil realize that Christmas Eve is a hard day to leave our own families. In any event, concerned citizens can still do something —
Yes — call government representatives and offices.
However, you should be forewarned that the Grinch may already have infiltrated the offices of Homeland Security.
As one reader tells Latina Lista today:
After reading your blog on the facility that holds families accused of being illegal under those terrible conditions, I decided to call Homeland Security to express my outrage through their “Citizen’s comment line.” What happened next is laughable though expected. I was transferred by the operator at Homeland Security to the comment line and received this automated message:
“I’m sorry, you cannot leave a message because the box is full.”
When I got the operator back, I was transferred several times to be told by one person: “Call back in a few minutes, an office assistant is ‘cleaning it out.'”
I replied, “What does that mean? Are you guys just deleting the comments to make more room!?”
Whereupon she hesitantly replied, “No, but we’re deleting the ones…well, you know….”
I said, “I do? So am I to understand that an office aide is assigned the task of deeming messages ” insignificant” versus “worthy? By the way, exactly who in the office listens to the screened messages?” ”
She replied, “Um, I’m not sure…”
It sounded by the tone of her voice, that the messages left are given little weight, if at all. Perhaps you should find out the answers to the questions I listed above before people try to call only to end up with their messages getting deleted for their trouble. I’m sure that would make interesting fodder for a blog.
good luck.
Aztec
I agree with Aztec that the unfortunate interns, or whomever Homeland Security has relegated to cleaning out the Inbox, are paying scant attention to the substance of the comments.
Yet, one redeeming consequence of keeping up the calls is knowing what a pain in the ass it is for them to have to keep on top of it.
Just by virtue of the the volume of the calls, somebody is going to get the message that imprisoning children indefinitely in detention centers is unacceptable in this country.
It’s a message that is bound to get passed along.
