Immigration
I arrived at Houston Processing Centre, out of the civvies, and back into a uniform now a detainee uniform, then on to processing, chest x-ray ECT, more of the waiting game it seemed that things were going to remain the same.
I was not going to let myself become paranoid, I maintained a sound mind, I couldn’t be wrong in that sense, well I was given a mask and told that my chest showed the signs of possible TB, this meant that I would have to go to medical, and be in isolation for a while.
The abuse followed me; it was still the same system. I was in a room alone, just a bed but boy the bed felt good, it was much better than the Penn, my shower and hand basin were in my room also, there was also air-conditioning, which was good, but then when the evil-one said to me “You’re not free yet” I was right nothing had changed.
The A/C was turned low so it be came very cold in there, I had spent years with no A/C, so it felt real good to be in an air conditioned place at first, and now they use it to freeze me, it gets so hot in Texas that a/c is a must, just like heating is in the winter, but with a/c if you turn the temp down low the unit will keep running to achieve that temp, just like a heater thermostat will, so therefore you can make a place very cold, and that is what they did, I am a qualified airconditioning technician and so I knew the score.
I couldn’t shower because that was turned cold also, and when I complained of the cold I was told they would give me an extra blanket, which I never got, the abuse was continued the same way as it was in TDC, so I knew what population was going to be like, but I had survived the nine years and I would survive this also.
I was going to make it home, then the evil-one said “I’m not going to have you walking around, I’m not letting you walk” now wait a minute I thought, I’ve just done nine years in hell, I’m being deported, so I wont even be in America, and he’s dictating what I do in my own country, does he rule The City of Coventry? I know that I can be felt when I move around, they say they can feel my power, and that makes them afraid of me.
I don’t care what nationality a person is no-one is going to dictate what I do in my own Country, City, and certainly not in my own home, I was born free in a free country that many people have died to win us our freedom, and no-one from another country is going to dictate what I can or cannot do, these are my streets and I’ll walk them when I please. Any debt Texas may feel I owe them has been paid in full, with interest, and now it’s time for my side to be told.
I had a visit from a British Medical Officer, I don’t know who had sent her but she had a military uniform on, she did her own tests and I was found not to have TB, I was fit for population, thank God for Britain because if they had got away with claiming me as having TB I could not have been deported and may still be there to this day, or even dead. I was more proud to be a Brit than ever.
I spent a week in the medical being frozen day and night, and now it was time to go to the dorm, these are forty man dorms, that’s a little less than the seventy five man dorm at Allred, there was a microwave, the showers were through an opening, and meals were eaten in the dayroom brought to us in hot boxes, so there was no leaving the dorm unless one was going to outside recreation, or unless one was called out for any reason.
I had no coffee and I had missed the store with being in medical, stamps were not currency in there as they were in TDC, I tried buying some coffee off the guy’s, but thankfully there was one who gave me some of his, and I got a cup or two off other guy’s too so this kept me going until store day, the waiting game continued, it was clear that they had no intention of letting me out. I went to outside rec once, but sadly it was the same old thing as Allred, and I was tired of that old crap and so that was the last time that I went to rec, so my time was spent in the dorm, only going out when called out to see the deportation officer, the atmosphere was not as bad, after all these were all immigrants, they had either done there time or were on parole, in other words everyone was going home, however there were many who wanted to stay in the USA, and were therefore fighting there deportation, but as for me mine was settled in 1999 which is when I saw the immigration judge, all I needed was my passport which had expired while I was in prison.
The racks were bunk beds, no cubicles, and so no individual plug sockets, my radio would have been of no use anyway, but the four bags of coffee would have been, there was no need for a fan either because it was air conditioned, and other prisoners noticed that the a/c would get lowered at times, and when I would shower that to would be turned cold, but it would be turned up warmer when others used it.
Well as they got trained in how to do the abuse things started to get worse, now the other thing is this was a transit place, everyone was passing through, no long timers, although having said that there were a few who had been there for years because there country wouldn’t except them back for some reason or another.
I met one guy who had served 20yrs in the military, he had committed a felony and was being deported, he had made rank of Sergeant and had an honourable discharge, but was still being sent back to his country because he never became a citizen, he had served six years in TDC and he had also stayed overnight at Robinsons Unit, so when I asked if they re-inventoried his property, he said they don’t do inventory overnighters.
Everyone there was from somewhere else, and so I wondered what type of opinion of America they would be taking back to their country? That means that there are people in many countries who also know that my claims are true, and if ever they were to start coming forward I would have more witness’s than the system could ever imagine, so it will be very interesting to see what develops in the future.
I was assigned to 14 bottom, while on there I got hit very hard, the increase in abuse was becoming severe, there were phones in there and so at least I had contact with the outside world, I could buy phone cards, or make collect calls, so I called the consulate, I did tell her that things were still going on, but I new there was nothing she could do but at least I was making things known, so if anything happened it was on record, although there was little chance of any gang related things happening, or shanking taking place ECT, the guy’s in there were coming from all over the place, and not staying to long, so that was something at least, but when it’s the officers doing the incitement they could move guy’s around accordingly.
I was kept waiting until my 30 day review before seeing my Deportation officer, I had made previous attempts to contact him via a box that was in the dorm for request slips, but I was being ignored, after all I only needed my passport and that couldn’t be done until after I had seen him, eventually after 30 days they have to give me a review, and then at 60 days.
I was called out at 3am, and was kept in a holding cell until being taken over for 7am, I was in a big holding cell where the air was turned down so cold that guys were wrapping themselves in toilet paper, it was like being in a refrigerator, but they were in and out, while I was in there for hours, and the hours went by before I was taken out to see the officer, he asked if I had seen the judge yet? I said yes, in 1999, I only need my passport, so he took my photo, and said there would be no more delays on his part, and that any further delays would be on the part of the Consulate, as soon as my passport arrived he would make travel arrangements.
So back to the refrigerator while I waited for an officer to take me back over to the housing, I had been in holding much longer than anyone else, and when I got back to the dorm it was commented on. I had been gone for too long, over 12 hours.
Thirty days had been wasted, I had been kept hanging on in the dorm with no information just being ignored, I should never have had to wait that long for my passport photo, the attitude of the officers, and the way the food was served was not good either.
I’m not knocking the food quality, now that I could make store once a week, I brought a radio, stocked up on batteries, and got a few snack’s occasional ice cream, things were very expensive there, and I am so thankful to my family who supported me so much through those years in hell, that little help, and a kind words, goes a very long way.
I was in constant touch with Linda Kelly at the Consulate and she was confirming to me that the length of time being taken was not normal, and so this is not my assumptions, things were certainly not normal, my process was being delayed which is to continue.
I moved to 14 top so a guy with a bunk restriction could have a bottom bunk, the officer said we could arrange things between us so long as the assignment office was notified, after a few weeks I think the request was denied, so I was moved from 14 top to 12 bottom, this rack was more in the middle of the dorm and I didn’t like it at all, detainees would keep walking around my rack, and grouping close by, they were being trained in how to abuse, as they had in Allred, and so things continued.
I had written to my nephew who had got the attorney for me back in Dallas and told him what the charge was when I was discharged, he contacted the attorney for me, and I got a reply from the attorney confirming in writing that the plea agreement had been reneged on, my letter was in my locker which was under my rack went missing which was no surprise.
My radio was again my main outlet, I would still sing-a-long, and it cost in batteries, and buying the radio but how much do you spend on entertainment? The cost was worth it to me for the quality of my time, and for staying sane.
I called the Consulate, and I must say that I found Linda Kelly to be a very nice person, I had been corresponding with her for some years while at Allred, and she also visited me on a few occasions, I was inquiring if she had received the things she needed for my passport, no she hadn’t, apparently he should have had me fill the passport application out which he never and so the delay went on, whenever I had put written requests in again and again they were ignored, I had put so many requests in, and so I asked Linda if she could call him on my behalf, because I was getting nowhere in there, I was just left sitting, so if she didn’t contact them I would sit there forever.
I was called out a few days later, this time he came over to where I was, that avoided another day of hours in the refrigerator, I filled out the form, I couldn’t understand why he had not done that in the first place, he knew he could not send for my passport without it, and I wasn’t to know how Immigration did things, he told me that should be it, he also told me that I should be gone before my 60 day review, well you guessed it, I wasn’t.
I was called out in the morning when my 60 day review was due, to go over to the other side again, there was never much notice, this day was worse than the first, there was an old guy in that tank and the cold was getting to him and so he got seen too. and was taken back over, they couldn’t just have me on my own because it would be to obvious, but then again it was still very obvious to many, they put an old guy’s life at risk in order to freeze me, and still they have managed to gag everyone, when will the people wake up, and wise up?
I saw the officer and I had to sign a paper, which said if I was still there in 90 days they would do a release review or they would have to apply for 90 day custody.
My hands were too cold to hold the pen, they were frozen I had to blow on them to try to heat them up, to get them working, I noticed the look on his face, I told him it’s like a freezer in there, he said that he would come over to where I was in future, and then he told the officer to have me taken back over now, but instead I was put back into the cell and was there for a more hours, the officer said there was no-one to take me back, and so I would have to wait, it was 3pm when I was finally taken back over, I had been out of the dorm for 12 hours again, since 3am, the waiting game was everywhere I went.
The Consulate still never had everything needed, now the payment for the passport was missing, the passport does have to be paid for by the ones doing the deporting, and that’s the same everywhere, this is obvious delay once again, so he came over to see me, and told me again no more delays on there part, and every time from then on he came to see me, until the day that I would depart, and then I would have to go over that side again.
It was the same treatment everywhere, there was still no mercy, the only escape was death, but I would never do that. I still sang, I still kept my cool, well sort of, I use to vent to myself at times, but I wouldn’t be talking to any of the guy’s, how could I? I’m the one who would look crazy after all; I would not give them satisfaction by kicking off.
There was another guy from the military who had served a short time in a military jail, and he wanted a different bunk, he didn’t like being at the back, and so we decided to swap and then ask for permission, he had a bunk restriction anyway and so needed a bottom bunk, and his was perfect for me, a top rack against the wall out of everyone’s way. The abuse was very intense and I thought for a while that I may never make it out, it was delay after delay, the mental abuse, the waiting games, and everything else on top.
I was told this day when I phoned Linda Kelly that my passport had arrived from the British Embassy in Washington, it was the fastest passport she had ever seen come through, the British Embassy was certainly on the ball, all the delays were on the part of Texas, they put every obstacle in the way that they could.
I said well I should be going any day now then, but she said it usually takes a few weeks, even though the deportation officer said as soon as it arrived arrangements would be made, well some weeks later I called Linda and asked if she could call the officer and find out what was going on, because I had still not heard anything.
A few days later I was called out, the deportation officer was there to see me, it was better than going back over to the fridge, he told me that Linda had called him and that they were about to make the travel arrangements, so I should be leaving in a few weeks, he thought that he was telling me some good news, but I was mad, you mean to say only now your making the arrangements, my passport arrived some weeks ago, if Linda had not of called I would have been left to rot.
I told him that if I was a citizen I would be free now, sitting at home, and that I wasn’t in there for punishment, my time was complete, he then explained that the girl in the office who makes the arrangements was over worked, she had to do all the arrangements herself, in other words they sat on my passport for two weeks, and had Linda not called who knows what would of happened, he assured me that everything was now in order and that there would be no more delays, now where have I heard that before. Now am I delusional or is it apparent that things were not right?
Apparently they don’t tell you when your leaving, well that’s what I was told anyway, and yet they did tell other detainees when they would be going, so my sister in Florida and in England had to be ready at a moments notice, my sister in Florida was going to let my sister in Coventry know when I was on the plane because she was going to meet me at the airport, I asked for as much advance notice as possible but was told that I would not be told the travel arrangements, however he did call me out and tell me that I was leaving in two weeks, on the Tuesday I think it was, so this was it, only two more weeks left in hell, this was still Hell.
A day or so before I was due to leave I was called back out, they had cancelled my departure, it was due to some paperwork error, needless to say how angry I was, and so were my family, the delays were unbelievable, he said they would try to arrange travel for the following week, they didn’t know what day it might be, well hell was still going on and I still kept my faith, not once did I blame God for my situation or for any wrongs that had been done to me, it was people doing this to me, cold blooded…….,
I had asked my sister in England to bring me some clothes to the airport for me because the clothes given to me when leaving the Penn must have been the worst they could find, I had to tie the paints up and she never knew when I was coming because the date was constantly changing she never knew till I was on the plane, because I had asked Linda Kelly to inform my sister in Florida.
Well the following week I was told to pack my things, I was leaving, so on the 14th November I boarded the plane bound for the good old UK, I was on my way home but I knew that on the plane I was still being pursued, the evil-one was not done yet, and on the 15th of November 2006 I arrived at London Gatwick, home at last and free from Hell.
When I got off the plane I was first met by the Metropolitan Police who took my DNA, they were really great, friendly faces at long last. I did tell them that if Texas pursued me I would have to do something about it; they said don’t worry about it just get on and live your life now you can leave it all behind, but I knew I was still being pursued.
My sister and brother met me at the airport, the first thing I did was go into the restroom and change clothes, and put the other ones in the trash, my sister went to buy me a coffee and I said to my brother that I was looking forward to seeing my Mother, he told me that she had died last year.