February 16th marked eight months since a SWAT team of eight heavily armed ICE agents stormed into our apartment at 7am on a Monday morning , without a warrant or probable cause, and abducted my darling husband Aik. The agents pointed their guns in our faces, degraded us and spent about an hour in our apartment riffling through our belongings, confiscating documents and making phone calls in an effort to figure out their reason for detaining him. They proceeded to handcuff him and forcefully escort him away in a large black van, to 26 Federal Plaza. He has since been detained in Newark, New Jersey, Alexandria, Louisiana, El Paso, Texas and currently being held in Elizabeth, New Jersey. If we do not secure his release very soon he will most likely be shipped back to Texas.

Aik has endured countless violations to his human and constitutional rights throughout the entirety of this nightmare. He has been tear gassed, pepper sprayed, physically and psychologically abused by officers, food and sleep deprived, placed in isolation, denied outside access to fresh air for up to 55 days in a row, denied basic necessities such as water, soap, a change of clothes, medical attention, his prescribed medications. He has witnessed detainees be blatantly neglected while experiencing heat-attacks, seizures and mental breakdowns.

Aik is the hardest working person I've ever met and it is revolting that his hard earned tax money is now literally funding his own unjustified imprisonment. We are in urgent need of donations in order to secure his long-overdo release so that we have a chance to salvage our life in Brooklyn while we still can.

(More details on our current situation, along with selection's from Aik's artwork that he has designated for sale, will be shared soon in Update 7.)

Aik and I have been a couple for over 11 years. Hailing from Armenia, he entered this country legally (over 23 years ago), has contributed to it immensely and is married to a U.S. born citizen. There was no reason for him to be detained. We were in the process of finalizing his green card application and had no clue this devastation was in the cards for us.

We are now doing everything we can to raise the remaining funds needed to secure Aik’s release and continue fighting for his right to stay in the only home he has known for the past two decades.

We are emotionally and financially depleted, but we are far from ever giving up.

In August of last year I released my song “OUR HIDDEN LOVE “on my label Intelligent Disobedience Records (IDR), in an effort to not let this nightmare continue to poison every single aspect of my life, while simultaneously remaining laser focused on urgently raising the essential funds needed to get Aik released. This particular song felt especially fitting then, and continues to feel so now.

To stream or purchase (pay what you wish) on Bandcamp

click here: OUR HIDDEN LOVE

•••• The below budget is outdated. I will be revising it asap. • •••

EXPLANATION & DISCLAIMER OF FUNDRAISING AMOUNTS

• So far we have raised $11,086 towards Bond.

• $13,914 must still be raised to ensure we can afford bond.

• $22,000 raised four weeks ago has already been spent on urgent legal fees and essentials (detailed breakdown below).

• $33,086 reflects our total raised, but does not reflect the total we currently have (which is $11,086)

• $11,086 is therefore the amount we have raised towards bond so far, since $22,000 has already been spent.

• In addition, we also have $25,600 worth of costs to cover, aside from bond (breakdown below)

• Our current goal of $42,000 reflects a smaller more achievable automated goal set by GoFundMe. A new goal will be set once that one is reached.

It is very important to me to remain as transparent as possible, in hopes of avoiding any confusion created by shifting goal amounts/amounts raised. I truly hope the breakdown above provides some clarity.

WHERE WE CURRENTLY FIND OURSELVES

• Aik has now undergone two bond hearings that were legally deficient and based on incorrect statutory and factual grounds.

• Now that he is back in New Jersey (after spending three months in Texas) we are fighting for his right to a proper Bond Hearing.

• Our current emergency is to raise enough money for Bond as well as basic living costs/detention costs.

• In this political era Bonds are being set higher than ever before.

• The bond amount is unknown until the moment the judge sets it.

• We must raise funds as urgently as possible so the money can transfer to my account in time to post immediately upon him being granted bond.

• We will face new and serious obstacles if Bond is not posted instantly upon being granted.

• Our Bond motion is very strong and already prepared.

• Luckily we feel very confident in the powerhouse immigration attorney defending us, we just must be patient.

• Bond could be as high as $25,000 (in truth it could be even higher, but this cut-off amount seems appropriate, considering we are relying on donations)

• You are only supposed to get one shot at Bond, however, since his hearings have been deemed due-process-deficient, we are actively fighting for his right to a proper hearing.

WHAT WE MUST URGENTLY RAISE FUNDS FOR

• $25,000 Estimate to ensure we have enough money for Bond – if Bond is lower than this amount, any leftover money will assist towards our other urgent needs that total to $25,600:

• $17,500 remaining legal fees due September 3

• $2,900 January rent, overdue

• $2,900 February rent, overdue

• $900 critical overdue bills

• $600 continued communication while he is detained (phone calls, text messages and video calls)

• $300 Aik’s commissary

• $400 groceries

• $100 Cat food and litter

• $400 immediate essential living costs so Aik is given a chance to stabilize when he returns home.

Your kind generosity has helped us cover $22,000 worth of the following so far:

• $20,000 in Legal Fees

• $200 Cat food and litter

• $300 Groceries

• $50 House cleaning products

• $50 Personal care products

• $300 Communication with Aik, calls, texts, video

• $350 Aik’s commissary

• $150 Printing and FedEx for filings

• $550 Bills

• $30 Laundry, quarters, and detergent

• $20 Public transit

Words cannot express how deeply appreciative we are for the support and love you have provided so far.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Please donate if you can, as any amount, big or small, prepares us for the moment Bond is set. Spreading the word, by sharing this GFM, also helps us more than we could have imagined and is deeply appreciated.

Link to share: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-aik-home

FULL DETAILS OF OUR STORY

On Monday, June 16th at 7 AM, while my husband Aik was getting ready for work and I was still in bed, a SWAT-team of eight heavily armed ICE agents stormed into our apartment. When I opened the bedroom door, a gun was pointed in my face, and I was ordered to stay in the bedroom. For the first half hour I had no idea what was happening and was frozen in fear. They had no warrant or reason they could provide us with for why they were looking through our documents, degrading us and handcuffing Aik. They were in our apartment for over an hour after which they forcefully escorted him downstairs and put him in a large black van. It was an extremely traumatizing experience, and we were completely blindsided. We had no idea this was in the cards for us. We were in the process of finalizing Aik’s green card. Since that day, our life has been under constant threat of being completely unraveled.

Three days after the raid, also at exactly 7am, a group of (this time all masked) ICE agents returned and harassed me. Since then, every sound in the hallway, every time the buzzer rings, and anytime I see a black van out my window, chills run through me. I have been living in a constant state of paranoia feeling trapped in my own home.

HORROR ON OUR FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

On June 29th of last year (the day that marked our actual ten-year anniversary as a couple) we had the most beautiful wedding ceremony we could have ever imagined, here in Brooklyn. We were surrounded by 100 cherished guests, and in one word it was magical. Whereas this year, on our first wedding anniversary, at 8 AM I woke up to a five-second phone call from Aik: “I think I’m being moved.” An hour later: “I heard something about a flight.” And then nothing.

For the next 37 hours, my friends and I had no idea where he was. The ICE tracker listed that he was detained in Louisiana. Our lawyers were told he was on his way to Texas, so I was preparing to fly there in desperation.

37 hours later, Aik called me with the relieving news that he was still in New Jersey. He had never been to Louisiana or Texas. He had been shackled, handcuffed, and placed in the back of a van, driven to the Baltimore airport, driven onto the tarmac where over 100 detainees, all chained to each other, were being boarded onto a plane. At the last moment, five names were called out and one of them was his. These five men were then returned to New Jersey and placed in isolation, which was very traumatizing for Aik. The facility later admitted a mistake had been made, and he was eventually readmitted.

OUR LOVE

There is no doubt in my mind that our love is what’s keeping us going, however, it is also incredibly painful not having Aik here to fight this with me. Aik is the most hard-working and generous person I’ve ever met, a generosity he shares with so many people, without ever expecting anything in return. He is missed by his friends, his family, his godson, his clients, and most of all by me. He provides so much to his community and is the most important person in my life.

Aik has succeeded in making me happy every single day since I met him 12 years ago. We’ve endured far too many challenges in our relationship already, ones that most couples never face, and each one has only made us stronger. But the fact that he’s not here to fight this horror with me, has made this the hardest life-event I’ve ever had to face. However, as traumatizing as the situation has been for me, since it feels like Aik was basically abducted from our home, my heart aches even more when I think of how traumatizing this has been for him, as he has endured sub-human treatment for more than nine weeks now.

INHUMANE CONDITIONS AT THE DETENTION CENTER

At first, I was provided false visiting hour information, and only finally got to see him, for the first time, after many failed attempts, five weeks into this nightmare. The visiting “rules” (which change every week) at the detention center are extremely difficult to navigate. They only allow 15 families per visit, on a first-come-first-served basis. While they claim registration starts one hour before visiting hours, sometimes people begin signing in 3–4 hours earlier on a small sheet of paper using a pencil. There are only two visiting windows per weekend, and no visitations allowed during the week (contradicting the information supplied on their website). Even though the facility is currently over-capacity, housing hundreds of detainees, only 30 families are granted an unlikely shot at visiting with their loved ones per week.

When I was finally able to see him, for the first time in five weeks, I had to wait outside under the blazing sun for eight hours. It depresses me that this is what it takes, on top of the trauma already inflicted on us. Also, I can’t help but feel guilty for taking a spot that another family could have, every time I visit.

The air outside and inside the facility has a chemical sewage stench that makes me extremely dizzy every time I visit, as well as very concerned for any long-term effects this could have on Aik’s health if he’s held there much longer.

During Aik’s time at the detention center he has been transferred between different units a few times, for no explained reason. After spending his first few weeks in the “better” unit, he was transferred to a unit with no windows, limited access to water, and was separated from the detainees he had befriended, from the previous unit, people in a similar situation to him who had become an important form of support. This unit supplied limited access to communication with me. For a while, while he was in the first unit, we were able to speak and text regularly, which allowed him to assist me with this legal fight and provided us both with much needed emotional strength. In the “dungeon” unit he was only permitted to use a tablet for one hour every day (which is needed for texting), and phone calls were extremely frustrating due to the faulty sound quality of the phones provided in this unit. We were no longer permitted to have video calls, a mode of communication that was currently helping us stay sane.

A positive change has been that, due to his good behavior and respect towards staff, he was granted a very unusual request to be moved back to the unit he was originally placed in, so we now have better access to communication, and he is reunited with the detainees he has formed friendships with, which has helped keep him going. I am very proud of how he has succeeded in bringing people together, lifting their spirits, and achieving an unexpected sense of peace and tranquility in his unit by organizing chess tournaments since he was transferred back. So far, there have been three tournaments consisting of players, detainees, from 20 different countries. He has also earned the nickname name “Uncle” in this unit, since he is the guy detainees go to when in need of help of all kinds. Besides being fluent in English, he speaks Russian, Armenian and has a good grasp of Spanish, so his assistance with translations has been very helpful to many non-English speakers, especially when filling out important forms that determine their futures.

OBSTACLES BEYOND OBSTACLE

The time invested on weekends, to visit Aik at the detention center, causes me to fall behind on urgent tasks, which slows down our progress. Therefore many opportunities to see him have been sacrificed in order to keep this ship afloat. However, it has been vital, in order to keep both of our spirits in tact, that I occasionally do devote time traveling to New Jersey, to wait in line for endless hours, to be able to see him. The longer this goes on, the more it wears on my mental well-being, and even more on Aik’s mental and physical strength, as being degraded to sub-human is taking a serious toll, which in turn affects me deeply.

Three weeks into Aik’s detainment we realized we urgently needed to switch our legal representation. Due to their incompetence, malpractice and lack of basic human compassion, our (now former) legal team wasted the first three weeks of our time, caused significant emotional damage (since we trusted them), drained our savings, and contributed to making our situation even harder to navigate. We are very fortunate to have retained our current, very competent, legal team. Upon retaining them they were quick to inform us that ICE had no legal reason to be detaining Aik for half of the time he’d been held in detention so far. Our new attorney immediately threatened to sue ICE if Aik was not released, defending his constitutional rights. However, instead of releasing Aik, as they should have, ICE instead served Aik with a “Notice to Appear,” which granted them the legal right to further detain him. We have since been waiting far too long for his Bond hearing to be scheduled.

Last week, we FINALLY had a bond hearing last week, but due to it being deemed inadequate another Bond hearing will be scheduled in September (see most recent Update for more details). We still find ourselves in a desperate situation; we must raise enough funds to be able to post Bond, the instant it is granted, otherwise we will be presented with further obstacles causing more devastation, and I don’t know how much more I can handle after having endured a constant panic for over two and a half months now.

I have had to spend every waking hour being the middleman between Aik and everyone else in our world, since I am the only person he can have daily contact with. It’s been completely overwhelming trying to manage court paperwork, medical documentation, phone calls, filings, updating friends and Aik’s concerned family, as well as managing the life that Aik was forced to abandon so abruptly. I have hardly left my apartment or done anything remotely normal in nine weeks, so I have zero time to secure any income, and my career has been put on hold. I have no choice, as I am the only one who can directly oversee helping him right now.

My usual income comes from teaching piano, something I was recently putting on hold while Aik lovingly supported me as I prepared to launch my own independent music label to release my music, a dream that has now been stopped in its tracks. I have had to abandon all the musical collaborations I was involved with, and I have no time to work on music, play piano nor sing, swim nor go on walks, as I used to do daily in my previous life.

On top of everything, I did not expect to have to figure out how to defend myself and protect my fundraiser from unforeseen attacks brought on by members of my own immediate family, as well as some of their very appalling friends, who have attempted to sabotage my fundraising efforts by discrediting the realness of our situation through slander. Although this defamation, towards both Aik and myself, has been ongoing for years now, I still did not expect them to sink this low when I am facing such crisis. However, since so many signs point to these people being responsible for us being in this situation in the first place, I should not be surprised, I just had more faith in humanity than what has been displayed by a select group of human-beings.

Everyone who truly knows me is aware of how important honesty has always been to me, and how it will always remain to be. I am so grateful for your continued trust. Everyone who knows Aik and I as a couple knows how genuine and beautiful our 11 year relationship has been and remains to be. My family has been out of touch with my reality for a while now, therefore missing out on witnessing the beautiful home-life Aik and I have created. They have long forgotten who I am, my strengths, my potential, my values, my honesty, the importance of my dreams as well as my ability to sustain a loving genuine relationship. They have not contributed financially nor in any emotionally-supportive manner, and the silence, of those not harassing me, has made it increasingly clear that they are satisfied with the devastation I’m currently facing. Fortunately, I haven’t had to manage this entire fight alone, our amazing group of friends has been doing everything in their power to help. However, since I have no time to physically see anyone, I’ve been feeling increasingly isolated and completely cut off from the life I had just nine weeks ago. I am beyond grateful for the immense outpouring of love and support, that has provided such comfort, greatly overshadowing the shameful evil.

MOVING FORWARD

We feel fortunate to be in the hands of a legal team that are sharp, experienced, and deeply invested in Aik’s case. They have helped us see the light and a clear way out of this. We had a scare when our finances were completely drained, and we were at risk of losing their representation as well as all the money we’ve already invested into them, if we could not raise $20,000 urgently. Thanks to the generosity and humanity of you spectacular angels we conquered that hurdle due to your donations. THANK YOU SO MUCH, THAT WAS A HUGE STEP FORWARD FOR US.

WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES CURRENTLY

The intense work that has been required to prepare for Aik’s bond hearing has hindered me from properly investing my time towards proper fundraising, which I am now solely focusing in on since your help is essential in getting us through. Time is of the essence, which is obviously extremely stressful, so I hope the time I have spent updating this GoFundMe page is worth it and will be our saving grace. If we do not raise enough money for Bond, as well as the other things listed in my budget breakdown, we will be screwed, but I am trying my best to keep my head above water. Your support means the world to us. Even if you cannot afford to donate, even just sharing this GoFundMe page has proven to be extremely helpful.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP SO FAR.

WHY THIS MATTERS & HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you know us, you know how hard this is to write. We’ve never asked for help like this before, and we wish we didn’t have to. But we have no choice. Your support is the difference between us continuing the happy life we’ve fought so hard to build together or losing the chance to fight for it at all. Every day this goes on, I fear for his well-being and fear of losing our home. Anything you can give, any amount, or even just sharing this link, would mean the world to us. I miss him so much and can't even fathom the thought of him not being released in September.

The link is: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-aik-home

THANK YOU

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for standing with us. We are holding on because of your love.

With deep love and urgency,

Léah