Ruben was witness to sicarios in his home state of Guerrero murdering his brother, and to save his life, he made a new life in Acapulco. However, his safety was short lived. “They found me and I escaped, and I didn’t stop until I reached Tijuana. The 20-year-old migrant waited two months so that in December he was sent to Otay Mesa Detention Center where he faced “the worst 4 months of his life.” For him, “it’s very hard to accept that you are fleeing for your life, because you know it will end if they find you, and for no reason, only to be put in a cell when you arrive here.” Ruben was granted freedom under bail but was terrified as he had no money to pay for the bond amount, as bonds are determined arbitrarily, and being a refugee, him and his family had little to no money to his name. We have known of bonds to range from 2.5K-15K. Our organization, then pays for these bonds in full. Ruben was able to gain conditional freedom and post bond through our organization before the COVID contagion reached its peak inside the J Pod at the detention center. “There was 103 individual in our tank, and while we ripped up t-shirts to make face coverings, social distancing was impossible.” Ruben now finds himself in Sacramento ready and hopeful to fight his case. He sees it as a miracle his bond was paid, he takes comfort in this first step to freedom, stating that it suggests to him that the court will rule in his favor of asylum. Border Angels has now posted bond for 31 individuals inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center, and 2 from Adelanto.
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January 2021
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