FREE YUSMILA FROM IMMIGRATION DETENTION!
Help bail Yusmila out from Eloy Immigration Detention Center!
We are fundraising to post Yusmila's bond so that she can get out of detention and reunite with her partner in Florida!
Yusmila fled Cuba with her partner, Maria, because of homophobic violence and sexual abuse they experienced as an openly lesbian couple. In May they sought asylum in the United States and were both detained in a privately-run, for-profit detention center in Eloy, AZ. Thanks to the help of the LGBT Freedom Fund, Maria's bond was posted last week and she is currently out of detention and in Florida! Yusmila was given an unjustly high bond of $10,000, and we are fundraising to get her out of detention so that she can pursue her asylum case in freedom and with the support of her community.
Yusmila is determined and ready to live her new life with Maria. Maria shared the following about Yusmila:
"Yusmila is 31 years old. She has suffered a lot because of homophobia that exists in Cuba. She doesn't have support from her family. Her father turned his back on her when he found out about her sexuality. In Cuba she was sexually abused. She is seeking safety, protection and happiness in this county with me, her life partner! Yusmila is very depressed now that she's been detained for over 4 months. She is suffering a lot in Eloy Detention Center. Her struggles with everything she has been through in life are now compounded with the hell she is in in detention... she needs our support and our help."
ALL PROCEEDS GO DIRECTLY TO YUSMILA'S BOND FUND! Let's get Yusmila out of Eloy and reunited with her loving community!
Like too many other asylum-seekers, Yusmila was given a bond that she cannot afford. Bonds given in the immigration court in Eloy are some of the highest in the nation. Judges in Eloy also have some of the lowest asylum approval rates in the country. In 2017, judges granted asylum to only 2% of cases. We are fundraising with the goal of posting Maria's bond before her asylum hearing at the end of October.
Every day that Yusmila stays in detention, CCA, the company that runs Eloy Detention Center, makes a profit. In 2017 CCA and Geo Group combined had annual revenues exceeding $4 billion. Detainees have the "option" to work for $1.75/ day in Eloy, doing full shifts in the kitchen, cleaning, or sewing. Detainees are not given enough food, forcing them to have to buy extra food from the commissary. Making phone calls is expensive, and medical care is inadequate. Suicide and death rates at Eloy are some of the highest among prisons in the country.
We are fundraising to post Yusmila's bond so that she can get out of detention and reunite with her partner in Florida!
Yusmila fled Cuba with her partner, Maria, because of homophobic violence and sexual abuse they experienced as an openly lesbian couple. In May they sought asylum in the United States and were both detained in a privately-run, for-profit detention center in Eloy, AZ. Thanks to the help of the LGBT Freedom Fund, Maria's bond was posted last week and she is currently out of detention and in Florida! Yusmila was given an unjustly high bond of $10,000, and we are fundraising to get her out of detention so that she can pursue her asylum case in freedom and with the support of her community.
Yusmila is determined and ready to live her new life with Maria. Maria shared the following about Yusmila:
"Yusmila is 31 years old. She has suffered a lot because of homophobia that exists in Cuba. She doesn't have support from her family. Her father turned his back on her when he found out about her sexuality. In Cuba she was sexually abused. She is seeking safety, protection and happiness in this county with me, her life partner! Yusmila is very depressed now that she's been detained for over 4 months. She is suffering a lot in Eloy Detention Center. Her struggles with everything she has been through in life are now compounded with the hell she is in in detention... she needs our support and our help."
ALL PROCEEDS GO DIRECTLY TO YUSMILA'S BOND FUND! Let's get Yusmila out of Eloy and reunited with her loving community!
Like too many other asylum-seekers, Yusmila was given a bond that she cannot afford. Bonds given in the immigration court in Eloy are some of the highest in the nation. Judges in Eloy also have some of the lowest asylum approval rates in the country. In 2017, judges granted asylum to only 2% of cases. We are fundraising with the goal of posting Maria's bond before her asylum hearing at the end of October.
Every day that Yusmila stays in detention, CCA, the company that runs Eloy Detention Center, makes a profit. In 2017 CCA and Geo Group combined had annual revenues exceeding $4 billion. Detainees have the "option" to work for $1.75/ day in Eloy, doing full shifts in the kitchen, cleaning, or sewing. Detainees are not given enough food, forcing them to have to buy extra food from the commissary. Making phone calls is expensive, and medical care is inadequate. Suicide and death rates at Eloy are some of the highest among prisons in the country.
Co-organizers (2)
Carolyn Ferrucci
Organizer
New York, NY
LGBTQ Freedom Fund
Beneficiary
Kate Miles
Co-organizer