Cold and confused – a US detention story

“I’ve asked myself why? Why do they detain you? If supposedly one is free.”





When he was first captured by US officials, Sergio was kept in the so-called ‘ice box’, a room without any windows or natural light, where people don’t know what time of day it is. Detainees also report that the air conditioner is turned up, which makes it hard for them to sleep.
Many see this as a deliberate strategy on the part of border officials to encourage irregular migrants to leave the United States. This cool welcome is one that Sergio, a 17-year-old from El Salvador, will always remember.


“It’s hard to overcome it, it is something you don’t forget,” Sergio says.


Even today, there is a certain sadness on face as he speaks of the psychological effects that his time in detention has left on him.


“My mind wanders. It gets lost,” he says.


He struggles to understand the reasons behind the six months he spent in detention.


“I’ve asked myself why? Why do they detain you? If supposedly one is free.”


There are no good answers to Sergio’s questions. Children, who are of no risk to security, do not need to be detained.

endchilddetention.org