PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Garfield Green, Member of the Public
3:23:11
ยท
4 min
Garfield Green, a member of the public, shares his deeply personal and emotional experience with immigration detention and its impact on his family. He describes the hardships he faced, including health issues and separation from his children, and expresses his fear and uncertainty about his upcoming immigration appointment.
- Green highlights the inhumane conditions he experienced in immigration custody, including being denied necessary medication and proper accommodations.
- He emphasizes the emotional toll of potential separation from his family, stating that he fears this more than cancer.
- Green criticizes the immigration system, describing it as unjust and contrary to American values, and calls for change.
Garfield Green
3:23:11
Hi.
3:23:11
Good afternoon, council, council member, and member of the community.
3:23:18
Unfortunately, I've been having, like, the worst couple of years.
3:23:23
I was detained.
3:23:28
I came home to a son that was born while I was detained.
3:23:32
I still find myself trying not to lie to him.
3:23:36
He's actually here with me today.
3:23:39
He just asked me a couple minutes ago.
3:23:42
I don't know how he figured it out, he's just 7, if they're gonna take me away.
3:23:58
I consider myself a strong person.
3:24:03
Ever since I came to this country, I come with a disability.
3:24:09
I pride myself walking around the city, showing my daughter a project that I built, including the World Trade Center.
3:24:18
I've been there since September 17 of that year until we put up the memorial.
3:24:25
I did something wrong, and I went away to pay my time.
3:24:30
For some reason, every time I heard the word heist, it's like I've always been scared of cancer, so I never go down to get treatment or to test myself.
3:24:44
But I think I just found out what I'm scared of more than anything else in this world.
3:24:48
It's not cancer.
3:24:50
It's get ripped away from my family.
3:24:53
They let me out of detention because I came up with a kind of blood clot that I have, like, multiple back to back to back.
3:25:04
They told me he was gonna take my next leg.
3:25:06
I told him I'd rather die in the hospital.
3:25:09
I wouldn't give him the right to take it.
3:25:12
It got so bad when the hospital released me, the surgeon called them and tell them there's no way I'm gonna make it.
3:25:22
That very night I came back to the facility, one of the immigration officer saw me and he make a phone call.
3:25:30
And in 20 minutes, I was released.
3:25:37
Now I have immigration next month.
3:25:41
I don't know what I'm going there to do or what I'm gonna say.
3:25:46
But I know I would rather have cancer 20 times wanting to go to that place, but I have to go.
3:25:53
What I'm gonna tell my kids, I have no clue.
3:25:58
I don't know what in life you could do to be punished over and over, but I guess this is a meaning to custody immigration.
3:26:08
I know there's a lot of beautiful people in this country, and I can't understand why no one can see how bad they are.
3:26:18
I've been in immigration custody so bad that I was clothes less, sleeping on the floor for almost 3 months.
3:26:26
Even though the doctor told them they have to give me certain medication, I never got it, and that contribute to the blood clot.
3:26:37
I did a couple of surgeries since I got home, and they moved some of them.
3:26:42
I'm actually do easily in a wheelchair.
3:26:45
I'm supposed to still be.
3:26:48
My son don't like it.
3:26:51
So I promise him if he comes with me today, I will use a wheelchair.
3:26:56
But now he's sleeping.
3:26:59
I can relate to a lot of things, and I can't believe I still can't believe I've been home almost 2 years.
3:27:07
Like, there's so much people who cares.
3:27:09
Because once you're behind those walls, it's just you and the people who hate you.
3:27:15
And the crazy part is the one that hates you is the one that have the power to take everything away.
3:27:22
I've never imagined this country have so much age or agree with agency to have their own laws because everything they do is against the law.
3:27:37
It's not what we believe in.
3:27:40
This is the bad side of this country.
3:27:43
If we could get rid of that, we all could get along and make this place way better.
3:27:49
We're not what they're saying we are.
3:27:54
Thank you, guys.