And in Texas, immigration authorities have prevented a Salvadoran woman detained at the for-profit South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, from attending her medical appointments for epilepsy. Twenty-seven-year-old Susana Arévalo is in the process of seeking asylum in the United States. She was detained on January 2 as part of the Obama administration’s controversial raids against Central American families seeking asylum after fleeing violence in their home countries. She said she has had more than six epileptic seizures while in ICE custody, but that ICE officials have refused to release her and her son so she can return to Atlanta, where she was living, to continue her medical treatment. Susana Arévalo spoke to Democracy Now! by phone from detention earlier this week.
Susana Arévalo: “We’ve been here for more than 22 days, and the authorities have not given us any answers. I have my treatment in Atlanta, and my son also. I have an appointment January 27, and they haven’t let me leave so I can continue my outside treatment. My son also has his appointment. He has to begin therapy for neurological delays. Since I’ve been in the custody of immigration, I’ve had more than six epileptic episodes, and they have not let me leave.”