Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20160907

Louder. Amy as more than 1000 native americans from more than 100 tribes gather to defend the Standing Rock sioux reservation from the Dakota Access pipeline, a federal judge has issued a temporary retraining order that halts construction in just part of the area and does not protect the area where on saturdaysecurity unleashed dogs and pepper spray on native americans who were trying to protect the ancient burial and prayer ground. Well get an update and well go to iowa where the pipeline is also facing legal resistance. Then, more than 20 immigrant women at the Berks County Residential Center in pennsylvania have resumed their Hunger Strike to call for their release. Some have been held for more than a year while they seek asylum. In an exclusive interview, well speak with a woman just released from berks after nine months. Immigration officials told all she had to do to win her freedom was end her protest. Look, they would put big servings of fruits, of watermelon, of grapes, of all different types of fruit around where we were to entice us to eat. Amy well get reaction from a board member of physicians for human rights who just spent more than a week observing families at berks and hear how activists are now calling on senator tim kaine to request some of the families be allowed to live with relatives in his state of virginia while their cases are pending. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President obama is continuing his historic trip to laos, the first trip there for u. S. Sitting president , although has , so far refused to issue a formal apology for the secret u. S. Bombing campaign in laos during the u. S. War in vietnam. Between 1964 and 1973, the u. S. Dropped an average of eight bombs per minute on laos, including as many as 270 million cluster bombs. Laos Authorities Say as many as onethird of these cluster bombs did not explode at the time. Some go off en today. President obama has pledged 90 million to help clear laos of the unexploded u. S. Bombs. Pres. Obama for all of those years in the 1960s and 1970s, americas intervention here in laos was a secret to the American People who were distances, avast pacific ocean, and there was no internet and information did not flow as easily. For the people of laos, obviously, this was no secret. Over the course of roughly a decade, the u. S. Dropped more bombs on laos than germany and japan during world war ii. Some 270 million cluster bomblets were dropped on this country. Amy in washington, d. C. , a federal judge has ruled that construction on sacred tribal burial sites in the path of the 3. 8 billion Dakota Access pipeline can continue. Yesterday, u. S. District judge James Boasberg issued a temporarily retraining order that halts construction only between route 1806 and lake oahe, but still allows construction to continue west of this area. The ruling does not protect the land where, on saturday, hundreds of native americans forced Dakota Access to halt construction, despite the companys Security Forces attacking the crowd with dogs and pepper spray. This part of the construction site is a sacred tribal burial ground. As the ruling was issued in washington, d. C. , about 100 native americans again shut down construction on another part of the Dakota Access pipeline by obstructing equipment. Some of them locked themselves to the heavy machinery. Native americans from across the u. S. And canada continue to arrive at the resistance camps. This is defender eagle, a lakota sioux. I think we waited long enough in various ways and means to listen always to the white men tells us to do list up the time is dawning and the age is beginning when we listen again to our indigenous community. I am waiting for the women and im hearing the women keep telling us what to do. They will guide our course. I am tired of waiting. I am tired of listening to the white men tell us different not honoring the treaty which of the law of the land. Amy dr. Jill stein also was on the site of the protest and graffitied the escalating agreement. Excavation agreement. Well go to north dakota and to seattle for an update on the lawsuit and the actions after headlines. We will go to iowa as well. In news from the campaign trail, donald trump and Hillary Clinton will both speak at a public forum on National Security this evening. This comes as Donald Trumps campaign has released a list of 88 retired military leaders who have endorsed trump. The list includes army lt. Gen. William boykin, the far right the rightwing leader of the antilgbtq group the Family Research council. He served as undersecretary of defense for intelligence under the bush w. Bush administration. Hes described the u. S. War on terror as a spiritual battle between a christian nation and satan rhetoric sparked widespread outrage and a rebuke from president george w. Bush. Donald trump continues to face questions about his financial relationship with Florida Attorney general pam bondi. In 2013, trump donated 25,000 to a Political Group backing bondi, only days after her office said it might investigate claims of fraud at trump university. Following the donation, bondis office said it would no longer investigate trump university. Trump also hosted a fundraiser for bondi in 2014 at his maralago beach resort. Trump university is now facing an ongoing lawsuit arguing the defunct forprofit school defrauded students. This comes as new investigations reveal multiple times in which donald trump has been fined over Illegal Campaign contributions. The federal Election Commission fined trump in the 1990s for exceeding the limits on Campaign Contributions by tens of thousands of dollars. In 2000, the new York State Lobbying Commission slammed trump with a 250,000 fine, after he did not disclose hed spent 150,000 on ads opposing a casino in the catskills that he feared would compete with his Atlantic City casinos. Political operative roger stone created the ads. The resulting 250,000 fine was the largest penalty the state lobbying commission had ever imposed. Trump was also subpoenaed by the new York State Commission to testify about his lobbying. In that testimony, he admitted he used 18 different subsidiaries to get around corporate contribution limits. Meanwhile, the fbi says its uncovered at least 13 phones that Hillary Clinton may have used to send and receive email during her time as secretary of state. Yet, the fbi says its been unable to recover any of those phones and that at least two may have been smashed with hammers. This comes as republican lawmakers call for another investigation into Hillary Clintons use of multiple private email servers during her time as secretary of state. Fox has settled a Sexual Harassment lawsuit with fox news host Gretchen Carlson for 20 million. In the lawsuit, carlson said former fox news chairman roger ailes repeatedly made advances toward her, calling her sexy and explicitly asking for a sexual relationship during a meeting in his office. She says that when she rejected his advances, he retaliated against her by cutting her salary, curtailing her airtime and then refusing to renew her , contract. Carlson first filed her lawsuit in july, paving the way for more than 20 more women to also come forward and accuse ailes of Sexual Harassment. Ailes resigned later that month, receiving a 40 million severance package twice as much as carlson has won in her settlement. In afghanistan, at least 35 people have been killed in a series of bombings in kabul monday. The taliban has claimed responsibility for two of the bombings, both targeting the area around the Afghan Defense ministry. In iraq, a car bomb killed 10 people and wounded dozens more in the karada district of baghdad just before midnight on monday. Isis has claimed responsibility for the bombing. In syria, volunteer rescue workers known as the White Helmets have accused the syrian gornment of dropping chlorine bombs from helicopters onto a neighborhood of aleppo. No one died, but a video posted by the White Helmets shows civilians struggling to breathe. The allegations have not been independently verified. In ethiopia, at least 23 people have died under contested circumstances at a prison in the capital addis ababa where many oromo protesters are incarcerated. The Ethiopian Government says the prisoners died of suffocation after a fire broke out, prompting a stampede. But local media is reporting prisoners were actually shot by guards, and that the sound of gunfire was heard at the qilinto prison during the time of the fire. Some believe the fire was set on purpose. For over two years, the oromo have staged massive nationwide protests against the Ethiopian Government. Ethiopian forces have responded with a brutal crackdown against the oromo protesters. Last month, human Rights Groups say nearly 100 people were killed after Government Forces opened fire during a day of nationwide marches. The u. S. State department is calling for the release of prominent human rights activist nabeel rajab, who is reportedly facing new charges after he wrote an oped for the New York Times earlier this week. In his piece headlined letter from a bahraini jail, rajab he was being held in part for having criticized the u. S. Backed saudiled war in yemen. He called for the u. S. To stop backing saudi arabia, writing that the United States unconditional support for saudi arabia and its lifting of the arms ban on bahrain have direct consequences for the activists struggling for dignity in these countries. Rajab was rearrested this past june. Hes been imprined multiple times in recent years for participating in prodemocracy protests and for criticizing the government. On tuesday, state Department Spokesperson mark toner called for his release. Were obviously concerned jabs detention and the charges filed against him and we call on the government of bahrain to release him. We have concerns about the states of human rights in general in bahrain and we are engaging with the government of bahrain on all of these issues. Amy bahrain is a close u. S. Ally, home to the navys fifth fleet. A prominent tenured professor at northwestern says shes been banned from campus, in a move she says is retaliation for her activism. Professor Jackie Stevens is a scholar focused on private persons, deportations and , militarism. She has criticized u. S. Universities increasing ties to the militaryindustrial complex. In a 2015 article last year, she criticized her own university, northwestern, for its corporate ties. She also led a Successful Campaign to block retired u. S. Army Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry from being named the head of one of northwesterns research centers. Northwestern has so far refused to comment on the ban. And in bolivia, transgender activists are celebrating new laws that allow transgender people to receive id cards that match their gender identity. It also allows them to update their names on the id cards. This is pamela geraldine valenzuela, the first transgender woman in bolivia to receive the card. Myi had totally assumed female identity. It took me more than 30 years for this change. In those 30 years, i have suffered so much discrimination, so much psychological, verbal, even physical violence. I believe everything that has happened has born free. I would not let myself stop in my fight until i arrived at this moment, until the state record sized all transgender people in accordance with their identity that we have completely assumed. Amy and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Juan and im juan gonzalez. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. We begin todays show with an update on the fight by native americans to stop the proposed 3. 8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which would run from through north dakota, south dakota, iowa, and illinois and could contaminate the missouri river. More than 1000 native americans from more than 100 tribes have traveled to the resistance camps on and around the Standing Rock sioux reservation in north dakota. Its the largest unification of native american tribes in decades. Well, on tuesday, a federal judge ruled on a request for a temporary restraining order to halt some construction until that same judge issues a ruling later in the week on an injunction the tribe filed challenging the u. S. Army corps of engineers over its approval of the pipeline. Yesterday, u. S. District judge James Boasberg issued a temporary retraining order that halts construction only between route 1806 and lake oahe, but still allows construction to continue west of this area. The ruling does not protect the land where this weekends mass protest occurred which is an ancient burial and prayer ground. Jan hasselman, attorney for the Standing Rock sioux tribe responded to the ruling. Were disappointed with what happened here today. We provided evidence on friday on sacred sites that were directly in the pipelines route. By saturday morning, those sites had been destroyed. And we saw things happening out beingnding rock dogs put on protesters that have not been seen in america and 40, 50 years. Amy as the ruling was issued in washington, d. C. , about 100 land defenders shut down construction on the Dakota Access pipeline by obstructing equipment. Some of them locked themselves to the bulldozers. My name is julz rich. Lockedre this morning down because water is life. We need our water to survive. We need to put a stop to this pipeline. Tuesdays limited restraining order does not cans cover this construction site, either. Meanwhile, north dakota authorities said they plan to pursue trespassing and vandalism charges against green Party President ial candidate jill stein for spray painting Construction Equipment at the dakota pipeline action. Joel stein is seen next to a spraypainted message in red paint on the blade of a bulldozer that says i approve this message. Stein, who is antiwar and advocates for clean energy, camped out with the protesters monday evening. Amy for more on tuesdays action and what it means for the Dakota Access pipeline, we are joined by several guests. In seattle, washington, Stephanie Tsosie is an associate attorney with earth justice. She is cocounsel with Jan Hasselman representing the Standing Rock sioux tribe in its lawsuit against the army corps of engineers over the Dakota Access pipeline. Via democracy now video stream, were joined by tara houska, National Campaigns director for honor the earth. We welcome you both to democracy now lets begin with the lawyer, talking about what the ruling means. If you can talk about what exactly the federal judge ruled yesterday. Yes, thank you for having me, amy. Mentioned, we are disappointed. It is important to remember this land is an area that these tribes have inhabited and there are sacred sites around the entire area. What this means is that construction can continue anything continue to and it can continue to desecrate these areas west of highway 1806. The tribe does not get an opportunity to go out and survey these areas for cultural sites. Juan but there will be a hearing, wont there later this week on the claims of the lawsuit . What do you expect to happen there . There will not be a hearing. There will be an order issued on friday that were looking for from judge boasberg on the hearing we had on august 24. But regardless of what happens on friday and which way the order goes, there will still be the overall Legal Process that we have pursued, which has other claims as well. And that will take some time. Amy i want to go to the moment on saturday when the Dakota Access pipeline security unleashed dogs and pepper spray on the native americans who had come onto the site not expecting to see them actively bulldozing it on saturday. They were just going to be planting their tribal flags there, but that is what they found. This is a clip. Maced me in my face. Look, it is all over my sunglasses. Maced me in the face. Threateningple are us with these dogs. That woman over there, she was charging them right in the face. Amy the dog has blood in its nose and mouth. Letting her dog go after over there, that dog i was walking. Even without any warning. Look at this. Amy the dog bit you . Look at this. Amy there you have just a moment of what took place on saturday when the security unleashed the dogs and the pepper spray. One of those dogs, both the mouth and nose dripping with blood. This site that the native americans they dont call themselves protesters, they call themselves protectors. This site, Stephanie Tsosie, is not included in the temporary restraining order . That is correct. And that is exactly why the tribe is disappointed in the ruling yesterday. Amy and then explain. This was just a hearing, an emergency hearing after this violent crackdown on saturday, you filed on sunday and got the hearing yesterday with the judge in washington. But what are you waiting to hear this week from judge boaserg . For a rulingting on friday that will either deny or grant our pulmonary injunction that we filed in august. And he can scope it in any degree. Were just waiting to see what happens on friday. Depending on how he orders it, construction may or may not continue after friday. That we are unsure as to what he will do. Juan in a primary legal arguments you are using in the injunction request . Specifically in the injunction request, we are pursuing claims under the National Historic preservation act. The act is there precisely to protect areas like this and to protect prevent incidents like this from happening. Our larger legal claim also includes claims under the National Environmental policy act as well as others, but for the scope of this injunction, it was just the National Historic preservation act. Amy were going to go to break and make a reaction from the main camp of the resistance in north dakota. We will be talking to tara houska. Stephanie tsosie, thank you for being with us, associated attorney with earth justice. We will be back in a minute. [music break] amy music by true pride. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. As the ruling was issued in washington, d. C. , about 100 land defenders shut down construction on the Dakota Access pipeline by obstructing equipment. Some of them locked them selves to workers heavy machinery. We go now to north dakota to get reaction on the lawsuit on the actions on the ground. Is nationaluska campaigns director for honor the earth. Welcome to democracy now can you talk about the reaction on the ground to the Court Decision and then what exactly happened in that protest yesterday . It was really disappointing. We were really hoping that the judge would see that there was a filing on friday that tailed all of these different parts over the pipelis path. In the cavity went out on saturday and destroyed it. It was clearly a situation which a temporary restraining order stop construction of prevent such a violent altercation from occurring. The Security Company actually turned dogs on native American People protecting sacred sites. It is incredibly disappointing to see the courts did not continue to protect our interests and stop this from happening while were waiting to see what this injunction is ruled upon. N tara, your response your reaction to the response of native americans around the country who have now flocked to the dakota area to participate in these protests . I think, you know, folks are still pouring in. From aroundoming the country every single day to defend this river. And also to take a stand for indigenous rights. We have seen some pretty serious Human Rights Violations as the process has gone on. The state of north dakota took medical supplies, Water Supplies from the camp. They put up a blockade preventing making it difficult to get into the reservation. This is occurring and no one is really covering that issue. No one is really seeming to care. Indigenous people. While the prosecutor dogs were protecting an easement, while that was happening, north Dakota Police were standing there not doing anything. Likee citizens, too, just everyone else. This has become a moment in history in which we are standing up for the environment, for our children, for the river, for the drinking water, and also just in general for the upholding of treaty rights and human rights. Amy we wanted to ask about this protest. One of those who participated in the protest, who locked down, was the to reporters. We saw him on saturday. We interviewed him because one of the dogs bit him on his arm and we show that image. Or people to see the whole attack on saturday, you can go online to democracynow. Org. But his arm clearly showed bite marks. Can you show exactly what they did yesterday . Was a, yesterday, there direct action, nonviolent direct action in which the location of the construction was discovered. About 100 people hopped in their cars and went over there and locked onto the agreement to prevent the active construction from occurring. It is worth noting that the company voluntarily said they would seize construction up until the point of the injunction. That is not happen. Active construction has happened throughout this entire process. When owners know that. They know we know that. This is obviously not being upheld and not being fully acknowledged. Yesterday we went on site and there were folks that were willing to locked themselves to machine to stop the construction and prevent the pipeline from going. Amy i want to play a clip of victor from saturday, the different action right after he was attacked. A dog bit me. Look at this. Look at this. Amy let me see. Let me see. That dog. I was walking. Even without any warning, you know . Look at this. Amy the dog bit you . Yes. Amy that is vicotr puertes. Juan tara, what was the response yesterday of the company yesterday . Was it remarkably different from saturday . It was remarkably different. Police came onsite initially, kind of stood around and took pictures of peoples faces and generally did not do much. And then left. I think theres a realization that the use of dogs on native americans protecting their treaty lands and their sacred sites is actually a really bad pr move that they know the world is watching as these gross violations of human rights are occurring. So there was a very big sense of, were going to back off. They really did not engage at all yesterday. To turn now, go sort of down the pipeline. The Dakota Access pipeline is also facing legal resistance in iowa. The pipeline goes from north to south dakota through iowa to illinois. In iowa, about 30 people were arrested last week in an effort to block construction. For more would to des moines where were joined by bill hanigan, an attorney representing 15 iowa landowners who are contesting the use of Eminent Domain by the Dakota Access pipeline. Welcome to democracy now , bill hanigan. Isnt this a private company . Good morning. Thank you for having me. Absolutely a is private company. It is a multibillion Dollar Corporation owned by about five other multibillion Dollar Corporations. Juan so how then were they the company able to get access to the land of the folks that you are representing . I represent about 15 iowa landowners, all of them farmers. Dakota access is using the power of Eminent Domain which is the authority of the state to take real estate and other assets for public purposes. Dakota access has applied to an obtained the power of Eminent Domain from our iowa utilities board thomas so they have representatives of the state represented to the state that they are public pipeline that is providing a common Carriage Service for the benefit of im wins and the nation and therefore, they should be entitled use the power of Eminent Domain. And about that, we very much disagree. Amy can you talk about the connection between the protests in north dakota and what is happening to you downstream, if you will, from north dakota, south dakota, now you are in iowa, those connections . The legal arguments are differen b the purpose and the power behind Dakota Access is the same. In north dakota, they are arguing about native american artifacts. In iowa, were arguing about the application of the constitution. And what is, beten those two things is the first of all, we would like Dakota Access to stop what theyre doing until everybody gets their day in court so we can make our arguments before it is too late, before it is a moot point. The commonality among it, in addition to seeking this state, the commonality is the issue of the great economic disparity. So you have these multibillion Dollar Companies who have combined this joint effort to build this pipeline across iowa and across north dakota and illinois and south dakota. The commonality is that great Economic Force behind those billions of dollars pushing this through both with law firms and the power of politics and the money of politics to get this thing on a fast track in all of these places before iowans and south dakota ands and native americans have an opportunity to even get to the court to get the court to review this and see it is not fair. Juan and how do you hope to prevail in court given of course the infamous decision of the Supreme Court some decades back where in essence the Court Allowed private interest to be able to use Eminent Domain in commercial projects . As i recall, it was the liberals on the Supreme Court who backed the decision and the conservatives who opposed it. That is correct. And we think that even the keelo majority, the socalled liberals, would apply the keelo case and role in our favor. With the majority said in that case, and it was five to four, were going to leave it up to the state to determine in the public purposes, for the purposes of using power of Eminent Domain. However, they also said that public her best does not include a truenot be a shill for private purpose. , that was a conference of, Community Redevelopment land. And the court said in that context where there would be some public assets, including streets and sidewalks and sewers, they would allow there to be the using of the power of ainent domain to help repair blighted community. In the context, Economic Development was legitimate consideration. Havein iowa, we dont Economic Development to repair a blighted communi. We have farmland that doesnt need repair. Amy when i was in north dakota this weekend, i was speaking to backl truck or who trucked oil around the area and said it was precipitous how low the demand had gone in this last year. You could conceivably set of this pipeline, the Dakota Access pipeline could be set up build through to illinois and the demand gets lower and lower. And they have just destroyed these sacred sites along the way. And eventually, you see the abandonment of the pipeline. We feel the same way about our farmland. In iowa in the midwest, our strategic and competitive advantage is our black soil. From the black soil and the earth, that is where we grow our crops. That is how we feed our families. That is how we fuel our cars. So what they have done is they have plowed this trench that is 8, 10, 12 feet deep. They put the soil out. It rains on the soil. They put their pipe in their pipe in there and then they put the soil back in. It is just not the same as it was. On top of that, theres this risk of oil leaking into our water supply and theres this risk of this oil leaking into the soil and making the fertility of it much less than it was before. So the idea that a Texas Company can take our land for its private purpose the argument that Dakota Access has made, that this is somehow a public purpose, is they will take this oil off to the gulf of mexico through iowa and then they will produce unleaded gasoline and somehow some of that gasoline will splash its way back to iowa. They cant prove it. They canake an estimate and they cannot tell us how much, but they think that is somehow our public use or public purpose. Inryone has to remember that december, congress repealed the decadesold prohibition on exporting that crude oil. So what we think is going to happen, and what has already happened with the same quality oil, it is being prepared for export. So the idea that there is a public purpose here and that we are all going to benefit from it , not only can they not prove this oil is not coming back to iowa, they cant prove or monstrate it is even going to be for the u. S. Market. So i think the state of iowa and the other states are being played for suckers, if you will, and this is all going to accrue in texas profits and foreign exports. And its a because the pipeline within link up with the one down to the gulf. Bill hanigan, thank you for joining us attorney representing , 15 iowa landowners who are contesting the use of Eminent Domain by the Dakota Access pipeline. Again, if you want to see the coverage of the security of Dakota Access pipeline, if you can call them security, unleashing dogs and pepper spray on the protesters, the full report, go to democracynow. Org. When we come back, why would a Government Official in a why would a person working with immigration come to women who are on Hunger Strike at berks and tell them if they eat an apple, they can leave . Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan how long is too long for a child to be held in detention . We turn now to look at an ongoing protest by mothers who have been held indefinitely in a Family Detention Center, in some cases for more than a year. , last week, more than 20 immigrant women at the Berks County Residential Center in pennsylvania resumed their Hunger Strike to call for their release. This followed a suspension of their protest when officials said they would take their children from them if they grew weak. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained the families at berks since they arrived in the United States seeking asylum from violence in el salvador, honduras, and guatemala. Most have been denied asylum and are being held while they appeal their cases. Their protest has raised questions about whether ice is flouting a federal judges mandate that puts a 20day limit on the time children can be detained. Amy in a few minutes well be joined by a physician who just spent a week at berks observing the families who have been held there indefinitely. But first, we turn to an exclusive interview taped on tuesday with a woman who was participating in the Hunger Strike until just released she was released from berks after nine months in detention. She and her daughter are in a similar legal position as the other families at berks. But as it turns out, all she had to do to win her freedom was end her Hunger Strike and eat an apple. Democracy now correspondent renefeltz filethis report. I got word that a mother held at works county Residential Center with her fouryearold dauger hadeen released. And had an incredible story to tell. I reached her and she agreed to do an interview if we did not show her face or use her real name. Maria had just arrived in arlington, texas, after a threeday crosscountry bus ride or she reunited with her husband and anotr relative who she will now live with. I went there to meet her. I began by asking her how it felt to be free. I am very happy. I am ecstatic because im here with my family and my daughter is here with her dad, who she wanted to be with. Im just very, very happy. Maria and her daughters ti and attention began last november when she came to the United States from el salvador to seek asylum. They were placed in the south texas Residential Center. A Family Detention Center in delhi, texas, run by Corrections Corporation of america. Within a month, herequest r asylum was deny. Was she appealed the decion, they wertransferred to the berks Residential Center in pennsylvania where she another family members pleaded with officials to be released. And he would ask is, how are we doing here . We would say, we are a lot. We dont have anything to do. We want to get out. All he would say is just shrugged his shoulders and look at us and almost mockingly laugh in our faces. It was just a meaning. Detention centers low security, house and a former hospital and nursing home. But maria described it as more like a jail. Tell you, yes, i did not feel well at all. It was terrible. I could not sleep at all. Every night when you go to sleep , every five minutes, every 10 minutes, the door would open. Someone would come in and flash a light at your face. Woulden my dauter, she of course live on the other bed, but because she would get up in the middle of the night, she was afraid and get up in the middle of the night and say, mommy, mommy, im scared. She would slip into bed with me. And they would come, the officers would come in the middle of the night and shiner light at me and look at me and say, she is not supposed to be here. Get her into her own bed. They would make her go into the bed most of she would be afraid. ,nd so because my daughter maybe she did not sleep enough at night, i dont know, but she was always angry. She was always very aggressive. She was terrible. She wasnt sleeping and neither was i. I felt terrible because of everything. And the rich children who had their id hanging on their neck and sometimes they would take it and they would strangle themselves with it because they could not stand being there so they would try to strangle them selves with the id. Wereria and her daughter detained for nine months. She told me the link of time was unbearable. The first month i felt fine. I felt good. In the same room where i was, i found my friend from dilly, and that was nice. But they gave her her freedom in two months time, so she left. So i stayed very sad. I wasnt happy anymore after she left. They kept putting people in and taking them out, and they kept putting people in and taking them out. And i kept staying there. I kept staying there. I did not know what was going on. We went to say our goodbyes to them and we hugged and kissed and my daughter went to kiss her little friend ,their son. She could not even cry because she did not know what to do. I did not know what to do. I just felt horrible. But my daughter would ask and say, mom, why are they leaving and not us . And it would tell her, please, baby, have patience. We will be next. We will be next. In august, maria said she and other mothers reached a breaking point. They decided to go on a Hunger Strike to call for their release from the Detention Center while the case was pending. For one week, they refused any mills. The maria says they were granted a meeting to discuss their demands with the director of the local immigration and Customs Enforcement Office Thomas dekker. No lawyers were present during the meeting. Maria described what hpened next. Put big they would servings of fruit, of watermelon, of grapes of all different types of fruit around where we were to entice us to. I met with mr. Thomas and i sat there with him and he said, i dont want to see anyone who is not eating. I want you to eat something. If i bring an apple, will you eat it . Im going to bring an apple, so i want you to eat it. So he sent out for an apple. So then they brought the apple in and he saw i was eating it. I eat the apple in front of him. He looked at me. He only made two questions for me. I told him that i could not stand the food, that if i ate that food, the only thing that would happen is i would go straight to the bathroom. I could not take it anymore, so i could not eat any of that food. Then i told him also that i and that wasedom the other reason oh is doing this, because i wanted my freedom so i stopped eating becae of tha so he to me that this was not going to do any good if i stopped eating, that i was not going to get freedom that way. So then i kept eating. I kept eating just as he asked. The following week, i did not get any results. I did not get any answer from him. I went and i decided to write something to m thomas. So i wrote something. Immigration picked it up. They sent it to him. And that is when he followed through. He looked at what i wrote to him then and he sai he rlied to me that in one or two days he would send me back a rly. Wednesday arrived and i immigration official called me in and asked me if i was still on a Hunger Strike. And then he asked me if i ha the address for here, d i told him that i did. He said, was i going to come here, and i said i would. And he asked me did i have people here and i said, yes, i did. And then he told me that he would take that to his boss. So the following day, they called me and that day they gave me my freedom. But he said that i still would go out, even though i had my freedom, i would still go out with deportation orders. Arlington,ng in maria still faces deportation. She will be required to check in weekly with immigration officials. And like honest all women released from detention at berks , she has to wear an electronic bracelet on her ankle. All she is grateful to be out of detention and living with her family, maria has a message for president obama about the families still inside. To feel ito tell him in your heart to please listen to us and help us. There are many children in these Detention Centers. There are many children desperate to get out. Their liberty. We need our liberty. Our freedom. Just like my daughter now feels happines i want all of these chdren to feel that same happiness. That is what i ask. Amy thanks to democracy now correspondent renee feltz for that exclusive interview. She was speaking with a woman calling herself maria, now in arlington, texas, with a security bracelet monitoring bracelet around her ankle. Special thanks also to ana fores tamayo for interpreting. Juan at least five families have been held for a full year in the berks Residential Center in pennsylvania while their asylum case is appealed, even though they could be released, like maria, to live with immediate family members and relatives in the United States. Senator bob casey, a democrat from pennsylvania, recently wrote a letter to department of Homeland Security head jeh johnson saying the women and children currently in detention, in many instances have come here from some of the most violent nations on earth, often escaping rape, murder, and domestic assault. These families deserve a fair opportunity to seek asylum. They do not deserve to be treated as criminals. Caseys staff is set to visit berks as early as this week, possibly with staffers from other offices. Amy well, to discuss the indefinite detention of asylum seeking women and children at the Berks County Residential Center some as young as two years old we are joined by bridget cambria, an immigration lawyer who represents maria and many of the families detained at the Berks County Residential Center in pennsylvania. As well as dr. Allen keller expert in the evaluation and , treatment of detained immigrants and asylum seekers, and he visited berks in august to observe the families there. He is director and a cofounder of the bellevue nyu program for survivors of torture, and serves as a primary care physician for many patients in the program. He is also member of the International Advisory board of physicians for human rights and an assistant professor at new york universitys school of medicine. Bridget cambria, lets begin with you. More on maria. React to what she said here as she sat there with this i dont like to say ankle bracelet. This is a monitoring, metal ring around shackled around her leg. Talk about her situation now. I dont agree with putting ankle bracelets on everyone who is released, but enforcement, everyone released from berks gets an ankle bracelet placed on them. Listening to her story, it is very familiar. This is an account that most of the women berks in game. What i found most striking with maria, her concern now, now that she is free, she still thinking about all of the women and children who are stuck in berks and stuck in berks for more than a year. Once that she was released, but she was not part of a kbs case that several of the women in berks have filed. The talk about the difference between how the authorities are treating those who are part of the habeus case versus those were not . Immigration is treating them differently. Pursuing federally and those in ministry to really pursuing their cases. So far, about five women and children have been released since the Hunger Strike began. All of them were not part of that federal habeus case. In these meetings were attorneys were not allowed to be present, the women and children in berks requested attorneys to be present in these meetings and were denied. At that meeting that were specifically told if you are pursuing in a federal court, we could not help you. Anyone who was outside of that case was talks to and several were released because of that. Amy thomas dekker, ice official, comes in and lays out apples and says if you keep these apples, you can leave. It is honest typical bibli cal. Theyre desperate to end the Hunger Strike. The other woman did not get released to eight the apple. Right. Two were treated in the same manner. One was released and the other remains. Juan i would like to ask about marias account, especially what amounts to basically sleep deprivation going on with the women and their children. And what your sense of what is going on there is a medical doctor. At the went to berks request of bridget and her colleague, the attorneys representing these women. Frankly, one of the Great Stories in this whole travesty is attorneys like bridget and caroline and others across the country have stepped up to provide pro bono services. So i went to do evaluations and apply my expertise as a physician who has cared for survivors of torture and trauma for over 20 years. What i found was really quite striking. This group of women and children who have been kept in the equivalent of indefinite detention that is not knowing when or if they are going to be released, when or if theyre going to be deported are horrifically traumatized by these experiences. We are causing harm by keeping these women and children. Many of them, most of whom, fled not because they wanted to, but as one woman said to me, because they had no choice. They were fleeing for their lives. In the women who are now on the Hunger Strike, many of whom i spoke to, consistently every one of them said they are doing this not for themselves, but for their children, for their safety. It reminds me, back in the 1980s, we know about the mothers in argentina who went to protest for their children who would then disappeared as part of the dirty wars. These are the mothers of berks, latter day mother heros of our time. Amy were going to continue our discussion after the show and post it democracynow. Org at. Were joined on the phone by mohammad abdollahi, an immigration activist working to support families in detention in texas. He is part of protests planned today at the offices of people like, well, senator tim kaine in manassas, virginia who is, yes, Hillary Clintons Vice President ial running mate. Can you talk about what youre calling on senator kaine and others to do right now . Absolutely. Were here in washington, d. C. , and for the last two weeks we have been calling on democratic leadership to take action on the families. We have heard a lot of words and promises, but in reality, what the senators have the power to do this very moment, introduced a private bill for each and every one of these families and that will automatically to further deportations for the duration of the congressional session. It is an easy thing to do and something they can do to put their words into action. Unfortunately, weve been getting nothing but closed doors. Amy senator feinstein has done this before . Senator feinstein routinely introduces private bills. Every year, dozens of private bills. Other senators across the board introduce these private bills for families in this specific situation where they have exhausted all Legal Options and theres nothing else happening in the administration is not budging. This is a routine action. Theyre refusing to do a for these families. Amy what are you doing a senator kaines office . Meeting with the senators and pretty much to her this week there will be a civil disobedience action with undocumented mothers who have been released from other Family Detention Centers that will stage a sit in and one of their offices to many immediate auction. Really being a senator leahy and senator sanders and senator warren where we have families detained at berks that have lived half their lives as children in this jail. Were going ask them for action. The senators need to be aware we are going to get action and they need to step up and be chance for these families. Juan and you put these particular senators because there are folks to attain who are from their states . Absolutely. We have families from boston, vermont, california. These are offices that they are not doing what theyre saying in the press they are doing that they stand behind these families. Words are great. When you can introduce a private bill that will stop the deportation this very moment and youre refusing to do that, people need to know. Amy mohammad abdollahi, thank you for being with us. We will certainly follow what happens with that action at senator kaines office. Dr. Allen keller and bridget cambria, thank you for joining us. We will do part two of our interview after the show and post it at democracynow. Org. A special thanks to renee feltz as well as laura got his dinner. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ] 55nnn girl speaking khmer