Humanity, Immigration
48 hours at El Refugio: A haven for families of ICE detainees
In a rural town in south Georgia, sits “El Refugio,” a charming white home with green shutters. For 15 years, thousands have walked through its doors during the hardest moments of their lives. The house serves as a refuge for families of immigrants detained just two miles away at one of the largest immigration detention centers in the U.S.. In recent months, the visits to El Refugio have skyrocketed. We spent 48 hours inside El Refugio, the only hospitality house of its kind in the nation. We meet volunteers who visit with detainees and the families of those held at Stewart Detention Center.
Listen to the story below.
This investigation was produced by Futuro Investigates and Latino USA and co-published in partnership with The Marshall Project.
Humanity, Immigration
In the shadow of an immigrant detention center, a small house offers refuge
Amid rising ICE arrests, volunteers provide aid — a meal, a bed, gas money — to anyone visiting someone detained in remote rural Georgia.
Reporter’s Notebook
How reporting “48 hours at El Refugio” helped me to hold onto hope: a reporter’s notebook
For nearly two decades, investigative reporter Julieta Martinelli has covered immigration across the US and abroad. Now, while reporting at a hospitality house near Georgia’s Stewart Detention Center, she reflects on how much has, and hasn’t, changed. Confronted with familiar patterns of enforcement and fear, she holds on to the helpers and the acts of solidarity she’s witnessed along the way to stay grounded in hope.
Humanity, Immigration
Podcast: 48 hours at El Refugio: A haven for families of ICE detainees
We spend 48 hours inside El Refugio, a hospitality house near one of the nation’s largest immigration detention centers, witnessing families’ journeys and the community easing their burden.
