Podcast

Back to Top

Transcription

IMMENSELY INVISIBLE

MARIA: DEAR LATINO USA LISTENER. JUST A QUICK WARNING. THIS IS AN INVESTIGATION INTO SEXUAL ABUSE AT ICE DETENTION CENTERS. SO WE JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW TO PREPARE. 

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER, IMMIGRATION HAS BEEN AT THE CORE  OF MY WORK AS A JOURNALIST. 

AND ONE OF THE THINGS I’VE FOCUSED ON HAS BEEN WHAT HAPPENS IN U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, WHAT HAPPENS IN THESE DETENTION CENTERS.

NEWS REEL

FRONTLINE DOCUMENTARY: CLAIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE ARE WIDESPREAD THROUGHOUT THE U.S. DETENTION SYSTEM.

MARIA: BACK IN 2011, I ANCHORED A PBS FRONTLINE DOCUMENTARY. IT WAS A FILM CALLED ‘LOST IN DETENTION.’ AND WE LOOKED AT THE INCREASING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE UNDER DETENTION IN THESE CENTERS. AND ALL OF THIS HAPPENING UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.

NEWS REEL

FRONTLINE DOCUMENTARY: WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE CASES THAT DON’T GET INVESTIGATED WHERE PEOPLE DO NOT GET HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE ABUSE OR THE RAPE OF IMMIGRANTS.

MARIA: AND ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS WAS HEARING ABOUT THE SEXUAL ABUSE THAT WAS HAPPENING INSIDE THESE GOVERNMENT RUN FACILITIES.

NEWS REEL

MARIA: AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED? 

WOMEN: HE SAID, IF YOU TELL ANYONE, YOU WOULDN’T COME OUT OF HERE ALIVE TO SEE YOUR FAMILY. SO THEN WHO DO YOU GO AND TELL?

MARIA: THAT WORK HAS STAYED WITH ME. 

BUT THEN A DECADE AFTER IT AIRED IN 2022, I GET THIS MESSAGE ON TWITTER FROM A YOUNG JOURNALIST NAMED ZEBA WARSI. SHE WAS WORKING ON AN INVESTIGATIVE STORY AND SHE WANTED TO MEET. 

WELL, SO HERE WE ARE IN THE STUDIO. HI ZEBA. 

ZEBA: HI MARIA.

MARIA: SO BACK IN 2022, WHEN YOU WERE A STUDENT AT COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL AND YOU COME AND MEET ME AT MY OFFICE AT BARNARD COLLEGE, WHERE I’M A PROFESSOR, AND I REMEMBER YOU WERE LIKE, LOOK, I’M A JOURNALIST, I HAVE A CAREER IN INDIA. BUT THE STORY THAT BRINGS YOU HERE, IN PART, WAS THIS INTEREST THAT YOU HAD IN WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THESE IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTERS. 

ZEBA: THAT’S RIGHT. I WANTED TO KNOW HOW ICE OPERATES. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BIG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, WHICH HOLDS THOUSANDS OF IMMIGRANTS WHO DON’T HAVE A LEGAL STATUS IN DETENTION.

MARIA: RIGHT. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE HELD BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, BUT THEY HAVE NO LEGAL STANDING. THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS. THEY DON’T GET A LAWYER. IT’S A VERY DIFFERENT THING THAN BEING IN THE CRIMINAL SYSTEM WHERE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE RIGHTS. 

ZEBA: ABSOLUTELY. THIS INVESTIGATION BEGAN AS MY MASTER’S THESIS ABOUT ABUSES IN ICE DETENTION CENTERS. AND THEN I GOT MORE AND MORE INTERESTED IN FOCUSING ON THE SEXUAL ABUSE THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THESE FACILITIES. YOUR DOCUMENTARY, MARIA, WAS, IN FACT, ONE OF THE FIRST PIECES OF JOURNALISM I WATCHED TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW ICE WORKS AND HOW ICE WAS DEALING WITH SEXUAL ABUSE.

MUSIC

MARIA: A DECADE LATER. I GET YOUR MESSAGE, ZEBA AND I WAS VERY MOVED BY THIS YOUNG, VERY HUNGRY REPORTER WHO MORE THAN A DECADE AFTER MY REPORTING WANTED TO LOOK INTO THE ISSUE OF SEXUAL ABUSE THAT WAS HAPPENING IN ICE DETENTION.

ZEBA: YES. AND FOR ME, IT WAS ALSO A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM ANOTHER WOMAN JOURNALIST SUCH AS YOU, MARIA, AN IMMIGRANT HERSELF WHO HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THIS TYPE OF ABUSE FOR MANY YEARS AND WHO CARES ABOUT THIS KIND OF REPORTAGE. BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME PASSES AS JOURNALISTS, WE NEED TO SHINE LIGHT ON ABUSES IF THEY CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. AND WE FOUND WOMEN WHO HAVE RECENTLY COMPLAINED ABOUT SEXUAL ABUSE IN ICE FACILITIES. WOMEN LIKE VIVIANA, MARLISSA, AND MARI.

CASCADE

VIVIANA: SIENTO TRISTEZA, SIENTO FRUSTRACIÓN. 

MARLISSA: SO YOU RUN AWAY FROM TRAUMA TO COME HERE AND DEAL WITH TRAUMA AGAIN. 

MARI: YO VIVÍ, SUFRÍ ABUSO SEXUAL EN ESE LUGAR.

MARIA: YOU HOPE THAT WHEN YOU DO YOUR REPORTING THAT THINGS ARE GONNA GET BETTER, AND I WANTED TO KNOW. SO HAS ANYTHING CHANGED ABOUT HOW ICE HANDLES CASES OF SEXUAL ABUSE ARE SURVIVORS GETTING ANY JUSTICE? AND SO YOU, ZEBA AND I, BOTH OF US IMMIGRANT WOMEN, TWO DIFFERENT GENERATIONS, WE DECIDED TO TEAM UP TO FIND THE ANSWERS. 

LUSA THEME MUSIC

MARIA: FROM FUTURO MEDIA AND PRX. IT’S LATINO USA, I’M MARIA HINOJOSA. TODAY, “THEY FELT IMMENSELY INVISIBLE, BUT THESE IMMIGRANT WOMEN ARE FIGHTING BACK.” A STORY BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES, IN COLLABORATION WITH LATINO USA, ABOUT SEXUAL ABUSE IN ICE DETENTION CENTERS. WE LOOK AT HOW WOMEN ARE SEXUALLY ABUSED WHEN THEY WERE AT THEIR MOST VULNERABLE – IN A MEDICAL SETTING – AND HOW ICE HAS DONE VERY LITTLE TO STOP IT.

THEME SONG ENDS

MARIA: SO REMEMBER I MEET ZEBA WHEN SHE’S A STUDENT AT THE COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL.THEN SHE GETS HER JOB AT THE PBS NEWSHOUR. AND, STARTING IN THE FALL OF 2022, SHE AND I AND OUR TEAM HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWING WOMEN AROUND THE COUNTRY ABOUT THEIR TIME IN ICE DETENTION.

ZEBA: YES, MARIA. SINCE I BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE STORY IN 2021, ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW, I’VE SPOKEN TO DOZENS OF WOMEN IN DETENTION CENTERS. THE FIRST WOMAN WE INTERVIEWED TOGETHER WAS VIVIANA. WE MET IN A SUBURB OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. VIVIANA IS NOT HER REAL NAME, BUT WE ARE USING IT TO PROTECT HER IDENTITY. 

MARIA: WE’RE MEETING HER RIGHT NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME.

ZEBA: HI, NICE TO MEET YOU IN PERSON. 

VIVIANA: THANK YOU.

MARIA: ¡HOLA VIVIANA!

VIVIANA: ¡HOLA!

MARIA: I WAS STRUCK BY HOW GORGEOUS SHE WAS. FIVE FEET, TWO LONG, STRAIGHT, DARK HAIR, VERY YOUNG AND VIVACIOUS. BUT ALSO THERE WAS SOMETHING REALLY SOMBER ABOUT HER EYES. AND I NOTICED HOW EVERY TIME SHE WOULD GET EMOTIONAL, SHE WOULD START TOUCHING THE GOLD ROSARY AROUND HER NECK.

VIVIANA: YO NO SABÍA SI ESTAR AQUÍ, POR MIEDO.

MARIA: AND SHE SAYS THAT SHE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE IF SHE WAS GONNA BE ABLE TO RETELL WHAT HAPPENED TO HER WHILE SHE WAS IN DETENTION. AND EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS SCARED, FRANKLY TRAUMATIZED, SHE PUSHED THROUGH AND DECIDED TO TALK TO US. 

MUSIC

ZEBA: VIVIANA LEFT VENEZUELA IN 2014. SHE WAS 21 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME AND WAS STUDYING LAW. HER FAMILY WAS PART OF A POLITICAL PARTY OPPOSING THE GOVERNMENT. SHE TOLD US THAT THEY BEGAN TO RECEIVE DEATH THREATS. THIS WAS A MOMENT OF POLITICAL CRISIS IN VENEZUELA.THE LONGTIME PRESIDENT, HUGO CHAVEZ DIED A YEAR BEFORE, AND THERE WERE PROTESTS AGAINST THE NEW PRESIDENT, NICOLAS MADURO.

NEWS REEL

ARCHIVE OF THE GUARDIAN (PROTESTERS): AQUÍ VAMOS A SEGUIR SIN TAPUJO, SIN MIEDO, SIN NADA, POR MÁS LACRIMÓGENO QUE NOS LANCEN.

MARIA: SO SHE AND HER MOTHER AND HER TWO BROTHERS FLED TO PANAMA. BUT AS MORE AND MORE VENEZUELANS ARRIVED, VIVIANA SAID HER FAMILY BECAME VICTIMS OF XENOPHOBIA.

MARIA: AFTER SEVEN YEARS OF LIVING IN PANAMA, VIVIANA AND HER MOTHER KNEW IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE. SO THEY MADE THE ARDUOUS JOURNEY ACROSS THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER IN SEPTEMBER OF 2021. IT WAS A RECORD YEAR IN THE NUMBER OF BORDER PATROL ENCOUNTERS – MORE THAN 1.7 MILLION. VIVIANA AND HER MOTHER WERE DETAINED IN TEXAS IN ONE OF THOSE ENCOUNTERS. AND BORDER PATROL THEN HANDED THEM OVER TO AN ICE PROCESSING CENTER IN HOUSTON.

MUSIC ENDS

VIVIANA: ME AÍSLAN EN UN CUARTO DE ESTOS DONDE SON CHIQUITOS Y ME DICEN: TIENES TUBERCULOSIS. ESO FUE LO PEOR.

MARIA: THEN VIVIANA WAS SEPARATED FROM HER MOTHER. 

MUSIC

MARIA: SHE WAS LOCKED IN A TINY COLD ROOM. SHE WAS TOLD BY THE STAFF THAT SHE HAD TUBERCULOSIS. SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH AT THE TIME, SO SHE PANICKED AND SHE BASICALLY COULDN’T SLEEP.

ZEBA: SHE SAID SHE WAS PUT IN ISOLATION FOR DAYS. SHE COULDN’T TELL IF IT WAS DAY OR NIGHT. THE ONLY LIGHT SHE COULD SEE WAS FROM A TV THAT WAS ALWAYS LEFT ON.

VIVIANA: Y AHÍ YO SIENTO QUE HUBO COMO UN UN COMO COMO QUE HUBO ALGO QUE SE ROMPIÓ.

MARIA: ¿DENTRO DE TI? SOMETHING BROKE INSIDE OF YOU?

VIVIANA: SÍ, SÍ. YO ESTABA MUY MAL. YO RECUERDO QUE LE LLORABA Y LE LLORABA, QUE ME LLAMARAN A MI MAMÁ. ME SENTÍ COMO UNA NIÑA CHIQUITA.

ZEBA: BY THEN, SHE WAS 28 YEARS OLD, BUT SHE FELT LIKE A LITTLE GIRL AGAIN, CRYING AND ASKING TO SPEAK WITH HER MOM. AND THEN, VIVIANA WAS TRANSFERRED TO STEWART DETENTION CENTER, IN GEORGIA.

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: FOR MOST OF THE TIME THAT THE STEWART DETENTION FACILITY HAS BEEN OPEN, IT HAS HOUSED MOSTLY MEN. BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED IN GEORGIA AND NOW WOMEN, IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES WERE BEING TRANSFERRED TO STEWART. 

ZEBA: YES, MARIA. SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED AT ANOTHER FACILITY. YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THE HORRIFIC HEADLINES.

NEWS REEL

NEWS CLIP: “A GROUP OF MIGRANT WOMEN IS COMING FORWARD WITH CLAIMS THAT THEY WERE THE VICTIMS OF UNWANTED AND UNNECESSARY MEDICAL PROCEDURES AT A FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER IN GEORGIA.”

MARIA: IT BECAME A NATIONAL STORY BECAUSE THE ABUSES THAT MEDICAL STAFF WERE ACCUSED OF AT IRWIN INCLUDED A GYNECOLOGIST PERFORMING HYSTERECTOMIES WITHOUT THE WOMEN KNOWING ABOUT IT. 

MARIA: IRWIN WAS CLOSED IN 2021 BECAUSE OF THIS SCANDAL. AND SOME OF THE WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN DETAINED AT IRWIN WERE NOW TRANSFERRED TO STEWART, SOME 100 MILES WEST IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. THE IDEA WAS THAT THEY WOULD BE SAFE FROM MEDICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE IF THEY WERE TRANSFERRED.

MARIA: BUT IN FACT, ZEBA, WHAT DID HAPPEN? WERE THE WOMEN WHO WERE TRANSFERRED TO STEWART TO KEEP THEM SAFE – WERE THEY ACTUALLY SAFE? AND THAT’S THE QUESTION WE HAD. WHICH IS HOW WE MEET VIVIANA, THE WOMAN FROM VENEZUELA.

MUSIC TRANSITION

ZEBA: DURING HER FIRST WEEKS DETAINED AT STEWART, VIVIANA HAD A URINARY TRACT INFECTION. SHE WAS PRESCRIBED MEDICATION THAT GAVE HER A SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTION.

MARIA: YOUR FACE IS SWOLLEN, YOUR LIPS ARE SWOLLEN, YOU WERE UNABLE TO BREATHE, AND YOU WERE FEELING INCREDIBLY SCARED. 

VIVIANA: AHÍ ES QUE CONOZCO ESTE ENFERMERO, CUANDO ME SUCEDIÓ ESO.

MARIA: SHE TELLS US THAT, IN THAT MOMENT OF TOTAL VULNERABILITY, THAT’S WHEN SHE MET THIS MALE NURSE – A SHORT WHITE MAN WITH A BEARD. 

AND WE SHOULD WARN YOU – THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTIONS OF HER VISITS ARE EXPLICIT – THEY ARE HARD TO LISTEN TO. BUT WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THEY’RE NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT VIVIANA AND OTHER WOMEN GO THROUGH.

VIVIANA: ME DICE COMO QUE SI PUEDO BAJARLO UN POCO EL PANTALÓN PARA VER AQUÍ. 

MARIA: SO HE’S USING A STETHOSCOPE TO PUT IT ON YOUR LOWER BODY. 

MARIA: SO, JUST TO DESCRIBE WHAT YOU’RE SHOWING ME IS THAT HE TAKES THE STETHOSCOPE AND HE BASICALLY PUTS IT RIGHT WHERE A WOMAN’S OVARY MIGHT BE.

VIVIANA: Y ME DECÍA ABRE LA BOCA. Y YO HAGO ‘AH’, YO ABRO LA BOCA MÁS Y SE REÍA JAJA Y REÍA.

MARIA: VIVIANA TOLD US THAT WHILE EXAMINING HER WITH THIS STETHOSCOPE, THE NURSE ASKED HER TO OPEN HER MOUTH AND THEN TO OPEN IT WIDER. HE THEN STEPPED AWAY AND TYPED A QUESTION INTO GOOGLE TRANSLATE, AND THIS MADE HER FEEL EVEN MORE UNCOMFORTABLE.

VIVIANA: ERA ALGO COMO SÍ QUERÍA SABER SI TENGO NOVIO.

MARIA: SO, AT THIS POINT, HE WRITES A NOTE TO YOU THAT ASKS YOU IF YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND. TE PREGUNTAS SI TIENES UN NOVIO.

VIVIANA: SÍ. 

MUSIC

ZEBA: AND THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. VIVIANA HAD PROBLEMS WITH HER EYES, AND ICE EVENTUALLY SENT HER BACK TO THE SAME MALE NURSE.

AS VIVIANA ENTERED THE ROOM, SHE FELT UNEASY. IT WAS NIGHTTIME. THE ROOM WAS DIMLY LIT AND SMELLED OF BLEACH. ALL VIVIANA COULD THINK OF WAS THAT THAT NURSE WAS STARING AT HER. AND THEY WERE ALL ALONE. 

VIVIANA: ME DICE: BÁJATE EL PANTALÓN. Y ÉL ME METIÓ EL ESTETOSCOPIO AHÍ.

ZEBA: THE NURSE TOLD VIVIANA TO LOWER HER PANTS. THEN, HE PLACED THE STETHOSCOPE NEAR HER VAGINA.

VIVIANA: Y ME DECÍA COMO QUE ‘GOOD GOOD.’ Y ESTABA ASÍ, Y HACÍA ASÍ COMO GESTOS RAROS, COMO SUCIOS. SONREÍA Y ME MIRABA.

ZEBA: WHILE TOUCHING HER, VIVIANA SAYS, THE NURSE MADE LEWD FACES. 

VIVIANA: Y YO QUEDE TODO EL TIEMPO CALLADA. HUBO UN MOMENTO QUE ME QUEDÉ ASÍ COMO MIRANDO HACIA EL VACÍO,  ASÍ. Y DECÍA: DIOS MÍO, ¿QUÉ HAGO?

ZEBA: VIVIANA FROZE. SHE KEPT QUIET AND STARED OFF INTO SPACE PRAYING AND ASKING HERSELF, WHY WAS THIS NURSE DOING THIS TO HER?

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: THIS ALL MADE ME REMEMBER WHAT I SAW OVER A DECADE AGO WHEN I REPORTED FOR THE FRONTLINE DOCUMENTARY, I SAW COMPLAINT BOXES IN AN ICE DETENTION FACILITY. BUT THE COMPLAINT BOX WAS NAILED SHUT. YOU COULDN’T EVEN PUT A COMPLAINT IN THE BOX. 

AND NOW VIVIANA IS TELLING US THAT THERE WERE POSTERS AT STEWART WITH A PHONE NUMBER, AND THE POSTER SAID, ‘IF YOU SUFFER FROM ABUSE: CALL.’

VIVIANA: TAL NÚMERO, ESO ES PURO PROTOCOLO. PORQUE ESO NO LOS, ESO A ELLOS NO LES IMPORTA.

ZEBA: NOW, THERE ARE POSTERS EVERYWHERE SAYING ICE HAS ‘ZERO TOLERANCE.’ BUT VIVIANA SAID THEY WERE JUST PROTOCOL AND DIDN’T DO MUCH TO STOP THE ABUSE.

MUSIC

ZEBA: WOMEN WHO ARE ABUSED IN DETENTION ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTED BY THE PRISON RAPE ELIMINATION ACT, OR PREA. THAT LAW SAYS THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE DETAINED HAVE A RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT FREELY AND REPORT ABUSE AND HARASSMENT. 

MARIA: PREA, WAS CREATED IN 2003. IT TOOK MORE THAN A DECADE TO BE FULLY EXTENDED INTO ICE DETENTION BECAUSE IT’S COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. THREE YEARS AFTER THE FRONTLINE DOCUMENTARY AIRED, PREA WAS FINALLY EXTENDED TO ICE DETENTION CENTERS IN 2014. BUT THAT’S STILL SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE VIVIANA WAS DETAINED AT STEWART.

WE ARE HEARING FROM VIVIANA THAT SHE WAS BEING ABUSED. SO THE QUESTION IS, IS THAT WHAT’S HAPPENED? THAT NOW THERE ARE JUST POSTERS THAT SAY THERE’S ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SEXUAL ABUSE? 

ZEBA: MARIA, I’VE BEEN TALKING TO OFFICIALS AT ICE FOR QUITE A BIT, EXCHANGED DOZENS OF EMAILS, AND THIS IS WHAT I’VE LEARNED: THAT ONE OF THE FEW THINGS THAT HAS CHANGED IS THAT THEY CONDUCT UNANNOUNCED INSPECTIONS OF THEIR FACILITIES. AND THE AGENCY HAS INCREASED AUDITS AND INSPECTIONS SINCE YOU’VE INVESTIGATED THIS TOPIC. BUT ACTIVIST DETAINEES AND WOMEN, WE’VE SPOKEN TO FEAR IT’S NOT ENOUGH.

MUSIC ENDS 

MARIA: THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER REVIEWED MEDICAL RECORDS AND THEY SHOWED THAT THE MALE NURSE HAD BEEN WORKING AT THE STEWART DETENTION FACILITY SINCE AT LEAST 2018.

AND AS WE MENTIONED BEFORE, IN 2021, WOMEN WERE NOW BEING TRANSFERRED TO STEWART FOLLOWING THE MEDICAL ABUSE SCANDAL IN IRWIN, THE OTHER DETENTION FACILITY IN GEORGIA. 

MUSIC

MARIA: SO, ONCE WOMEN STARTED TO ARRIVE AT STEWART, THIS NURSE STARTED SEEING FEMALE PATIENTS.  AND VIVIANA SAID HE STARTED ABUSING THEM.

MARIA: THIS NURSE AND HIS ABUSE, YOU BELIEVE, WAS NOT A SECRET TO ANYBODY WHO SPENT ANY TIME INSIDE STEWART, WHETHER THEY WERE HIS COLLEAGUES OR PEOPLE WHO WERE DETAINED. 

MARIA: ¿TÚ  SIENTES QUE TODO EL MUNDO SABÍA DE ESTE ENFERMERO?

VIVIANA: CLARO.

ZEBA: AFTER THAT SECOND INCIDENT WITH THE NURSE, VIVIANA RETURNED TO HER CELL AND BROKE DOWN IN TEARS. SHE TOLD OTHER DETAINEES WHAT HAPPENED TO HER. 

VIVIANA: YO LLEGO HASTA A LA CELDA Y LO EMPIEZO A HABLAR.

MARIA: SO, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WERE ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED THE OTHER WOMEN START NAMING WHAT WAS HAPPENING.   

VIVIANA: Y AHÍ EMPIEZA UNA DE NICARAGUA, UNA DEL SALVADOR Y ME DICEN: ME PASÓ LO MISMO.

ZEBA: WOMEN FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES TOLD HER THAT THEY SUFFERED SIMILAR ABUSES FROM THE SAME MALE NURSE. WE’VE REVIEWED DOCUMENTS THAT SHOW THAT AT LEAST FIVE WOMEN CAME FORWARD AND COMPLAINED AGAINST THE MALE NURSE. ONE OF THEM WAS ALSO ANOTHER YOUNG WOMAN FROM VENEZUELA.

MARIA: COMING UP ON LATINO USA. WE’RE GONNA HEAR FROM MARI, ANOTHER WOMAN WHO WAS ABUSED BY THE SAME MALE NURSE AND WHAT HER STORY REVEALS ABOUT THE WAY ICE HANDLES COMPLAINTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE. 

MARIA: STAY WITH US. NO TE VAYAS.

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: HEY, WE’RE BACK. BEFORE THE BREAK. WE HEARD FROM VIVIANA. SHE WAS HELD AT THE ICE STEWART DETENTION CENTER IN GEORGIA. SHE SAYS SHE WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED BY MEDICAL STAFF THERE. AND WE’RE GONNA CONTINUE OUR INVESTIGATION NOW WITH ZEBA WARSI. SHE’S THE JOURNALIST FROM THE PBS NEWSHOUR THAT WE TEAMED UP WITH FOR THIS STORY. HEY, ZEBA.

ZEBA: HEY MARIA.

ZEBA: WHILE VIVIANA WAS DETAINED AT STEWART, SHE HEARD ABOUT OTHER WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN ASSAULTED BY THE SAME MALE NURSE. ONE OF THEM WAS ANOTHER WOMAN FROM VENEZUELA. WE’RE CALLING HER MARI.

MARI: HOLA, YA ESTOY ENTRANDO AL LOBBY.

SOFIA: TE VAMOS A BUSCAR.

ZEBA: OK WE ARE COMING

ZEBA: WE MET MARI IN NOVEMBER OF 2022 IN A SUBURB OF CHICAGO. I CLEARLY REMEMBER SHE HAD HER HAIR NICELY TIED UP HIGH, UP IN A PONY. SHE WAS WEARING AN ALL-BLACK OUTFIT, AND SHE HAD THESE BIG GOLD HOOPS AND A NECKLACE WITH HONEY POPPING ON IT.

MARIA: SHE PULLS OUT THESE PICTURES ON HER PHONE THAT SHOWED US HER LIFE BEFORE SHE CAME TO THE UNITED STATES. SHE WAS A BODYBUILDER. 

MARI: YO ERA MUY FITNESS

MARÍA: AH, ¿TÚ ERES MUY FITNESS?

MARI: MIRA 

MARÍA: COME ON, THIS IS YOU?

MARI: SÍ

MARÍA: HOLY SNAP

MARI: ESTABA MUY MARCADA. ENTRENABA MUCHO.

MARIA: MARI TELLS US THAT WHEN SHE LIVED IN VENEZUELA, SHE TRAINED EVERY DAY, BUT ONCE SHE GOT DETAINED AT STEWART, SHE SAID THAT SHE WAS JUST TOO DEPRESSED TO EXERCISE AND SHE STARTED TO GAIN WEIGHT. 

MARI: NO, LO QUE ESTABA ERA COMIENDO BIEN. AHORITA BUENO… 

MARIA: MARI TOLD US THAT LIKE VIVIANA, SHE ALSO HAD GROWN UP IN A POLITICALLY-INVOLVED FAMILY IN VENEZUELA. AND THAT SHE DECIDED TO LEAVE HER COUNTRY WITH HER BOYFRIEND IN DECEMBER OF 2021 TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES.

MARI: EN FIN, QUE YO HE VISTO TANTAS INJUSTICIAS Y HE PELEADO TANTO POR ELLO QUE CUANDO LLEGUE AQUÍ DIGO: YA, SE ACABÓ MI DOLOR.

MARIA: BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE HAD SEEN IN VENEZUELA. THE INJUSTICES SHE TALKS ABOUT WHEN SHE ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES, SHE THOUGHT THAT THE PAIN WOULD BE OVER. MARI AND HER BOYFRIEND CROSSED THE BORDER. THEY WERE BOTH THEN HELD IN HOUSTON. AND THEN THEY WERE SEPARATED AND MARI WAS SENT TO STEWART IN GEORGIA. SHE WAS ONLY 22 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME.  

MUSIC

MARIA: SHORTLY AFTER MARI ARRIVED ON NEW YEAR’S EVE OF 2021, SHE HAD A ROUTINE CHECKUP AT STEWART.

ZEBA: MARI WAS SENT TO A HALLWAY FILLED WITH OTHER WOMEN – DETAINEES AND NURSES. SHE WAITED FOR TWO HOURS. AND THEN SHE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS ONLY ONE MAN IN THE AREA. SHE THOUGHT HE WAS A DOCTOR. SHE LATER FOUND OUT THAT HE WAS A NURSE.

MARIA: IT WAS THAT MALE NURSE WHO HAD ALREADY SPOTTED MARI. 

SOUND EFFECTS – FOOTSTEPS

MARIA: HE THEN DIRECTED HER TO FOLLOW HIM TO A SMALL ROOM FOR HER CHECKUP. 

HE CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND HIM 

SOUND EFFECTS – DOOR CLOSING 

MARIA: AND MARI SAT DOWN ON A CHAIR.

MARI: AHÍ YA DE UNA VEZ COMENZÓ: ERES MUY BONITA. 

MARÍA: MM. EN ESPAÑOL HE’S SAYING THIS TO YOU IN SPANISH

MARI: CLARO, NUNCA A MÍ ÉL ME HABLÓ EN INGLÉS, JAMÁS. 

MARIA: THE NURSE SPOKE TO HER IN SPANISH. HE ASKED HER SOME ROUTINE QUESTIONS AND THEN HE TOLD HER THAT SHE WAS VERY PRETTY. THIS PUT MARI ON EDGE. THEN THE NURSE ASKED IF SHE HAD EVER HAD ANY SURGERIES. MARI TOLD HIM YES, THAT SHE HAD HAD BREAST SURGERY.

MARIA: MARI SAYS THAT WHEN SHE RESPONDED, THE NURSE THEN GOT EXCITED AND STARED AT HER CHEST. 

MARI: O SEA, SI ÉL ESTABA FELIZ, EN ESE MOMENTO SE PUSO MUCHO MÁS FELIZ.

MARIA: THE NURSE ASKED HER SOME OTHER MEDICAL QUESTIONS. AND THEN HE TOLD HER TO LAY DOWN ON THE EXAMINATION TABLE.

MARIA: NOW, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS DISTURBING TO HEAR. IT IS, BUT IT’S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES THAT THESE ACTIONS HAD ON MARI. SO WHILE IT’S HARD, PLEASE DON’T TURN AWAY. 

MUSIC ENDS

ZEBA: THE NURSE TOLD MARI TO PULL UP HER SHIRT. WHEN SHE DID, HE HOVERED OVER HER. 

MARI:, YO PIENSO QUE QUE SE TROPIEZA, PERO ÉL NO TROPIEZA…Y ..ME APLASTA LA MANO CON SU MIEMBRO. 

MARÍA: SO HE’S PUSHING HIS PENIS UP AGAINST YOUR HAND, THAT IS NEXT TO YOUR BODY BECAUSE YOU’RE IN A STRETCHER BASICALLY. 

MARI: ESTABA MUY CERCA Y YO TRATO DE SACAR LA MANO Y ÉL COMIENZA A MASTURBARSE CON ROPA PUESTA CON MI MANO.

ZEBA: HE THEN CAME CLOSER TO HER AND TRAPPED HER HAND, PUSHED HIMSELF VERY CLOSE TO HER AND USED HER HAND TO MASTURBATE HIM OVER HIS CLOTHES. SHE WAS SHATTERED. 

TAPE MARI: YA EN ESE MOMENTO YO ESTABA DESTROZADA

MUSIC

MARIA: I WAS SUDDENLY TAKEN BACK TO 2011 WHEN I WAS REPORTING FOR THE PBS DOCUMENTARY, AND IT WAS THESE VERY SIMILAR STORIES. AND SO IT’S SO HARD TO SEE THAT THIS IS STILL HAPPENING MORE THAN A DECADE LATER. 

MARIA: NOW, BOTH MARI AND VIVIANA, AMONG OTHER WOMEN, DECIDED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO REPORT WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THEM. SO THEY TOOK AGENCY, THEY FILED COMPLAINTS AGAINST ICE AND AGAINST CORECIVIC. CORECIVIC IS THE PRIVATE COMPANY THAT MANAGES THE STEWART DETENTION WHERE MARI AND VIVIANA WERE HELD. 

NOW, CORECIVIC IS NOT NEW. IT USED TO BE KNOWN AS CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA, AND THEY’VE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE, ZEBA.

ZEBA: YES, AND CORECIVIC IS THE LARGEST PRISON CORPORATION IN THE UNITED STATES. IT MANAGES ELEVEN DETENTION CENTERS, INCLUDING STEWART. IN 2021 AND 2022, THE COMPANY MADE NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS IN PUBLIC MONEY –  WITH MORE THAN HALF OF THAT COMING FROM ICE DETENTION CENTERS. 

AND GET THIS: WHEN PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TOOK OFFICE IN 2021, HE SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER PHASING OUT PRIVATELY-MANAGED FEDERAL PRISONS. BUT COMPANIES LIKE CORECIVIC CAN STILL MANAGE ICE FACILITIES.

MARIA: IT’S THAT DOUBLE STANDARD THAT ALLOWS IMMIGRANTS TO BE MORE VULNERABLE. THEY DON’T HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS.

MUSIC ENDS

ZEBA: AND ACCORDING TO ADVOCATES, ACCOUNTABILITY IS AN EVEN BIGGER CHALLENGE IN DETENTION CENTERS RUN BY THESE PRIVATE COMPANIES. THIS IS LAYLA RAZAVI WHO HEADS FREEDOM FOR IMMIGRANTS, A NATIONAL ADVOCACY GROUP.

LAYLA: IT’S ALREADY A CHALLENGE TO GET ICE TO DO ANYTHING AND INVESTIGATE ITS OWN EMPLOYEES. AND SO I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO EXERCISING THAT TYPE OF ACCOUNTABILITY OVER A PRIVATE ENTITY, IT’S THAT MUCH HARDER TO REALLY GET TRANSPARENCY FOR WHAT’S HAPPENING OR ANY TYPE OF REFORM OR CHANGE.

ZEBA: IN ICE’S OWN REPORTS AND PUBLIC RECORDS, WE FOUND THAT BETWEEN 2021 AND 2022, THERE WERE AT LEAST FIVE ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AT STEWART. AND THAT IS IN ADDITION TO VIVIANA, MARI AND OTHER WOMEN WHO’VE ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULT BY THE MALE NURSE.

MUSIC

MARIA: AT THIS POINT IN OUR INVESTIGATION, WE WANNA STOP AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE WHEN IT COMES TO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN ICE DETENTION. 

SO, ZEBA, YOU REQUESTED DATA FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, RIGHT?

ZEBA: YES. MARIA. I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND HOW FREQUENTLY IMMIGRANTS ARE FILING COMPLAINTS ABOUT SEXUAL ABUSE IN ICE DETENTION. REMEMBER: PREA, THE LAW THAT PROTECTS DETAINEES, SAYS THAT “THERE IS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SEXUAL ABUSE IN DETENTION.” 

I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS ICE DOING ABOUT THESE COMPLAINTS? SO AFTER WAITING FOR SIX MONTHS, I RECEIVED DATA FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, OR DHS, WHICH SUPERVISES ICE.

MARIA: SO TELL ME WHAT YOU FOUND.

ZEBA: I GOT THE LATEST FEDERAL DATA THAT’S AVAILABLE: 308 COMPLAINTS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ABUSE. THEY WERE FILED BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021 BY IMMIGRANTS, WHO WERE HELD IN ICE DETENTION CENTERS.

MARIA: WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THAT’S ACTUALLY A HIGH NUMBER BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T REPORT RAPE OR SEXUAL ASSAULT OR ABUSE. SO THINK ABOUT IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE IN A DETENTION FACILITY AND THEIR FEELINGS OF VULNERABILITY. SO MORE THAN 300 DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS IS SUBSTANTIAL.

ZEBA: AND IN MY REPORTING, I FOUND THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THESE COMPLAINTS ARE AGAINST STAFF IN DETENTION CENTERS. SO THEY’RE FILED AGAINST ICE EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTUAL GUARDS, AND PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT DETAINEES.

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: THAT GIVES YOU A SENSE OF THE BIG PICTURE AND THE DATA. BUT LET’S GET BACK TO MARI’S STORY. WHAT HAPPENED WITH MARI IS THAT A FEMALE GUARD SAW HER AND WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE ABUSE THAT MARI SAID WAS HAPPENING AT STEWART. MARI SAID THAT THAT GUARD GAVE HER A SHEET IN ORDER TO RECORD HER COMPLAINT.

MARI: UN DÍA HASTA ME LLEVÓ UNA HOJA PARA QUE ESCRIBIERA TODO LO QUE ME HABÍA PASADO Y LA METIERA EN LAS QUEJAS. 

MARIA: IT’S JUST A BOX

MARI: QUE UN HOMBRE ABUSE DE TI, TÚ LO METES EN UNA QUEJA. UNA QUEJA A TÚ LA DAS A UN RESTAURANT CUANDO TE VAS DEL RESTAURANT. 

MARIA: MARI DIDN’T DO IT THOUGH. SHE FELT LIKE WRITING DOWN A COMPLAINT ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND PUTTING IT INTO A COMPLAINT BOX – IT JUST WASN’T ENOUGH. THIS WASN’T A COMPLAINT ABOUT A BAD MEAL THAT SHE HAD IN A RESTAURANT. THIS WAS AN ASSAULT. 

ZEBA: IN EARLY 2022, MARI REPORTED THE ABUSE TO ICE AND CORECIVIC. AFTER THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED, ICE AND CORECIVIC LAUNCHED AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. 

MARI: CASI TODOS LOS DÍAS ME SENTABAN Y ME DECÍAN: EH, ¿SIGUES CON LA MISMA IDEA? TÚ CREES QUE PASÓ ESTO? O SEA, JUGABAN CONMIGO COMO, COMPROBAMOS… [MARI CONTINUES]

ZEBA: MARI SAYS THAT GUARDS WOULD CONSTANTLY ASK HER IF SHE WAS SURE ABOUT THE ABUSE AND THREATENED HER WITH UP TO SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON IF SHE WAS LYING.

MUSIC

ZEBA: WE’VE TALKED TO OTHER DETAINEES. AND HAVE ALSO TOLD US THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SCARED TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE THEY FEAR RETALIATION. 

BUT SOME STILL DECIDE TO SPEAK UP DESPITE THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES. ONE OF THOSE WOMEN WAS DETAINED IN FLORIDA. SO WE WENT WITH OUR TEAM THERE TO SEE WHERE SHE WAS HELD IN DETENTION.

MARIA: IN NOVEMBER OF 2022, ZEBA AND I FLEW TO MIAMI THIS TIME. WE GOT IN A CAR AND WE DROVE TO THE GLADES COUNTY DETENTION CENTER.

MARIA: WE CAN SEE AN ICE, BIG ICE SIGN FOR ONE PARTICULAR ENTRANCE ALL IN BIG RED LETTERS.

ZEBA: I THINK ANOTHER THING WITH, WITH GLADES IS JUST HOW REMOTE IT IS. IT’S NOT NEXT TO ANY MAJOR CITY IN FLORIDA. IT IS RURAL FLORIDA.

MARIA: TO GET THERE, WE DROVE THROUGH A VAST LANDSCAPE OF SUGAR CANE FIELDS, WHICH TOOK US MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF HOURS AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN MIAMI. NOW, THIS MAKES IT REALLY HARD FOR FAMILY MEMBERS AND LAWYERS TO VISIT DETAINEES. 

ZEBA: ONE OF THE WOMEN WHO WAS DETAINED AT GLADES COUNTY DETENTION CENTER WAS MARLISSA JOSEPH. FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, WHILE SHE WAS STILL IN DETENTION, I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH MARLISSA. 

MUSIC ENDS

ZEBA: HI MARLISSA.

MARLISSA: HI.

ZEBA: IT’S SO GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU. HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?

MARLISSA: I’M FINE AND YOURSELF.

ZEBA: WE CHATTED FREQUENTLY ON THE PHONE SO HER VOICE MIGHT BE A LITTLE HARDER TO UNDERSTAND SOMETIMES.

MARLISSA: MY DAY, IT”S BEEN OKAY…

ZEBA: MARLISSA IS FROM THE BAHAMAS. SHE ARRIVED IN THE U.S. IN 2013 WHEN SHE WAS JUST 15 YEARS OLD. SHE CAME WITH HER MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER, AND HER YOUNGER SISTER, ESCAPING FROM AN ABUSIVE RELATIVE

MARIA: WHILE MARLISSA WAS IN THE UNITED STATES, SHE WAS AN EXCELLENT STUDENT. SHE GOT STRAIGHT A’S. IF YOU LOOK AT HER GRADUATION PICTURE, YOU SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL BLACK TEENAGER WITH GLEAMING BIG EYES AND A VERY BIG, PROUD SMILE. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, SHE ENROLLED AT KEISER UNIVERSITY IN FLORIDA. SHE HAD PLANS TO BECOME A LAWYER.

ZEBA: IN COLLEGE, SHE MET A GUY 10 YEARS OLDER THAN HER. SHE STARTED SKIPPING CLASSES TO BE WITH HIM. AND WHEN HE GOT CAUGHT IN A ROBBERY, MARLISSA WAS WITH HIM. ACCORDING TO HER LAWYER, AT 19 YEARS OLD SHE WAS ARRESTED.

MARLISSA: I WAS STILL A KID. 

THEY SAID AMERICA ADVERTISES AS THE LAND OF SECOND CHANCES, THE LAND OF FORGIVENESS. I DON’T FEEL FORGIVEN. I DON’T SEE A SECOND CHANCE.

MUSIC

ZEBA: MARLISSA SPENT ALMOST TWO YEARS IN PRISON. AFTER SERVING HER SENTENCE, INSTEAD OF BEING RELEASED, SHE WAS TRANSFERRED TO ICE DETENTION IN 2021. THIS IS A COMMON PRACTICE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IMMIGRANTS. MARLISSA WAS TRANSFERRED TO GLADES COUNTY DETENTION CENTER. AND SHE FOUND THAT HER EXPERIENCE IN ICE DETENTION WAS EVEN WORSE THAN PRISON.

MARLISSA: THE COUNTY … YOU NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SHARING NO SHOWER AND LIKE NONE OF THAT. AND THEN I CAME TO THE GLADES AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT?

MARIA: SHE SAYS THAT THE BATHROOMS WERE OPEN, 

SOUND EFFECTS – SHOWER RUNNING 

MARIA: AND THAT SHE HAD HEARD FROM OTHER WOMEN THAT THE GUARDS HAD A DIRECT VIEW OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE BATHROOM. 

MARLISSA: WE USED TO SEE THE SHADOW… THE SHADOWING OF LIKE THEIR HEADS. YOU COULD SEE IT WAS A MALE. 

ZEBA: AND HOW OFTEN DID THIS HAPPEN? 

MARLISSA: LIKE EVERY DAY. THEY NEVER FIXED THE ISSUE

SOUND EFFECT ENDS

MARIA: PREA, THE LAW WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT DETAINEES FROM SEXUAL ABUSE, PROHIBITS CROSS GENDER VIEWING. HALF A DOZEN WOMEN WE SPOKE TO CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS A NORM AT GLADES.

MARLISSA TELLS US THAT WHEN SHE WAS MOVED TO GLADES, HER DEPRESSION FROM HER TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD GOT WORSE. SO ONE MORNING SHE WENT TO SEE THE PSYCHIATRIST.

MUSIC

ZEBA: SHE TOLD US THAT WHEN SHE ENTERED THE ROOM, THE DOCTOR, A WHITE MIDDLE-AGED MAN, WAS STARING AT HER. SHE RECALLED THAT HIS EYES TRAILED THE NAPE OF HER NECK, GOING ALL THE WAY DOWN TO HER THIGHS.

MARLISSA: HE MADE NUMEROUS COMMENTS ABOUT MY UNIFORM AND SAID, ‘OH, THE NEXT TIME YOU COME SEE ME, ACTUALLY WEAR A TIGHTER UNIFORM.’

ZEBA: SHE WAS ALL ALONE WITH HIM IN A SMALL ROOM. IT SMELLED VERY STRONGLY OF ANTISEPTIC AND BLEACH. MARLISSA COULD FEEL THE ROOM SHRINKING.

MARLISSA: I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE. I FELT REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE.

ZEBA: AND THE INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR CONTINUED ON HER NEXT VISIT. 

MARLISSA: THEN ONE TIME HE TOLD ME THAT, ‘OH, YOU’RE VERY BEAUTIFUL. YOU REMIND ME OF MY WIFE. OH, BY THE WAY, I LOVE FOREIGNERS. MY WIFE IS A FOREIGNER HERSELF.’ HE WOULD ALWAYS MAKE SEXUAL COMMENTS TOWARD YOU.

ZEBA: MARLISSA FELT TRIGGERED. THE DOCTOR’S COMMENTS TOOK HER BACK TO THE ABUSE SHE EXPERIENCED IN THE BAHAMAS AS A YOUNG TEEN. 

MARLISSA: I’VE BEEN ABUSED IN THE PAST. THAT’S WHAT REALLY PUSHED MY MOM TO EVEN BRING US TO THE UNITED STATES.

MARIA: BUT EVEN THOUGH MARLISSA WAS FEELING VULNERABLE AND TRIGGERED, SHE ACTUALLY MAKES A DECISION TO COMPLAIN.

ZEBA: YES, MARIA. MARISSA JOINED SIX OTHER WOMEN AND FILED A CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AGAINST THE PSYCHIATRIST OF GLADES, ACCUSING HIM OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. THEY ALSO COMPLAINED ABOUT SEXUAL VOYEURISM. REMEMBER THE OPEN SHOWERS? AND MEDICAL NEGLECT AT THAT CENTER.

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: SO LET’S ZOOM OUT FOR A SECOND. BECAUSE WE HAVE ANOTHER WOMAN NOW AT ANOTHER IMMIGRANT DETENTION FACILITY WHO’S  ALSO FILING A COMPLAINT.

MARIA: SO, ZEBA,  WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON FILES A COMPLAINT? WHAT ELSE DID YOU FIND IN THOSE MORE THAN 300 COMPLAINTS THAT YOU SHOWED TO ME EARLIER?

ZEBA: HERE THEY ARE, MARIA, AS YOU CAN SEE…

ZEBA: WE NEED A MAGNIFYING GLASS. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS HEAVILY…

MARIA: WAIT, WAIT. IS THIS HOW THEY SENT IT TO YOU? 

ZEBA: YEP. 

MARIA: SO IT’S PAGES AFTER PAGES OF THE COMPLAINTS. THE WAY THEY SEND IT TO YOU IS, IT’S LIKE REALLY TEENY TINY FONT, AND THEN THERE’S A LOT OF REDACTION LIKE IN THIS ONE – HALF OF THE COMPLAINT IS REDACTED.  IN THIS ONE, A THIRD OF THE COMPLAINT IS REDACTED. IN THIS ONE, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL WORDS ARE REDACTED. SO WHAT ELSE WERE YOU ABLE TO FIND FROM, FROM THIS PAPERWORK THAT YOU’VE JUST SHOWED ME?

ZEBA: I REQUESTED CERTAIN DATA ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL ABUSE COMPLAINTS THAT WERE FILED BY IMMIGRANTS IN DETENTION CENTERS. AND THIS IS WHAT I GET IN RESPONSE. 

MARIA: I MEAN, WHAT’S INCREDIBLE IS THAT YOU JUST HAVE LIKE SO MANY IN THIS ONE COLUMN. IT’S LIKE PREA, PREA, PREA, PREA. SO THAT, THAT DEFINITELY STANDS OUT FOR ME.

ZEBA: THEY’VE MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO REALLY READ  THIS DATA. IN MANY CASES, MARIA, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE COLUMNS, WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO TELL US WHETHER A CASE WAS INVESTIGATED, WHETHER IT WAS OPENED, WHETHER IT WAS CLOSED, THAT COLUMN IS LEFT BLANK. 

ZEBA: THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES, OR CRCL AS THEY’RE KNOWN, IS THE BODY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY THAT INVESTIGATES THESE COMPLAINTS. IN FACT, THAT IS THE BODY THAT RELEASED THIS DATA TO US, MARIA.

MARIA: MM-HMM. 

ZEBA: BUT WHEN THIS OFFICE SUBMITS ITS FINDINGS AFTER AN INVESTIGATION, THEY SUBMIT IT TO ICE. AND ICE CAN OBJECT. WHAT DETAILS CAN BE MADE PUBLIC AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE REDACTED. AND THAT IS WHY MOST OF WHAT WE SEE HERE IS REDACTED. 

MARIA: SO, IT MEANS THAT ICE IS KIND OF INVESTIGATING ITSELF AND ALSO MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT SHOULD OR SHOULDN’T BE PUBLIC, WHEN ESSENTIALLY IT SHOULD BE PUBLIC. 

ZEBA: WELL, THAT IS HOW WE WOULD IMAGINE IT TO BE. BUT ICE CITES PRIVACY AND SECURITY CONCERNS, AND THAT ARGUMENT HOLDS WHEN IT COMES TO FOIA NORMS. BUT THE PARTS THAT WE CAN READ IN THESE DOCUMENTS, MARIA, THEY’RE VERY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE CASES. STORIES SIMILAR TO THE ONES WE’VE HEARD FROM VIVIANA, FROM MARI, AND NOW FROM MARLISSA.

MUSIC

MARIA:. SO ZEBA, WERE YOU ABLE TO FIND OUT ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE SEXUAL ABUSE COMPLAINTS AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE ACTUALLY INVESTIGATED?

ZEBA: NOT CLEARLY FROM THESE DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, MANY COLUMNS PERTAINING TO INVESTIGATIONS ARE LEFT BLANK. BUT AS PER ICE’S OWN LATEST AUDIT BY CRCL, THE OFFICE THAT PERFORMS THESE INVESTIGATIONS, ONLY ONE IN FOUR COMPLAINTS ACTUALLY GET INVESTIGATED.

MARIA: WOW. ONE IN FOUR. OKAY.

ZEBA: AND THERE’S ANOTHER WAY THAT CASES OF ABUSE STAY UNRESOLVED – AND THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES AGAINST PERPETRATORS: DETAINEES ARE TRANSFERRED FROM ONE DETENTION CENTER TO ANOTHER.

MARIA: SO WE SAW THIS, RIGHT? BECAUSE AFTER THE MEDICAL ABUSE SCANDAL AT IRWIN IN GEORGIA, THAT FACILITY IS CLOSED AND THE WOMEN ARE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER DETENTION CENTER IN GEORGIA, THIS TIME IT’S STEWART. AND IN FACT, THAT’S WHERE VIVIANA AND MARI WERE HELD. SO IT’S USING THESE TRANSFERS IN ORDER TO NOT DEAL WITH THE ISSUE. ESSENTIALLY, SHUFFLING IT OFF. 

ZEBA: AND THESE WOMEN WERE NOT ONLY TRANSFERRED, THEY WERE ALSO POTENTIALLY EXPOSED TO ABUSE AGAIN, AS WE’VE SEEN WITH THE COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE MALE NURSE.

MARIA: SO THIS STANDS OUT IN THIS STORY, ZEBA. THE NOTION THAT TRANSFERS ARE BEING USED IN A KIND OF PATTERN. INSTEAD OF DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM, YOU MAKE A TRANSFER.

MUSIC ENDS

ZEBA: AND MARIA, IT’S NOT JUST A PATTERN THAT HAS EMERGED IN OUR REPORTING. ADVOCATES LIKE LAYLA RAZAVI FROM FREEDOM FOR IMMIGRANTS, WHO WE HEARD FROM EARLIER, SAYS THAT ICE ALSO USES TRANSFERS TO PUNISH PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN.

ZEBA: A REPORT FROM HER ORGANIZATION FOUND THAT SINCE 2017, ICE HAS CLOSED 36 DETENTION CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND MANY IMMIGRANTS WHO WERE IN THOSE CENTERS WERE NOT RELEASED. INSTEAD, THEY WERE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER DETENTION FACILITIES. 

LAYLA: THIS OFTEN HAPPENED IN PARTICULAR IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE WERE ORGANIZING, WHERE THEY WERE CHALLENGING THEIR DETENTION,AND SO AN EASY WAY FOR ICE TO PUNISH THE PERSON AND RETALIATE AGAINST THEM IS TO GET RID OF THEM, TO MOVE THEM.

MUSIC

ZEBA: THE FEAR OF PUNISHMENT. THE FEAR OF RETALIATION DIDN’T STOP MARLISSA, THE WOMAN FROM THE BAHAMAS WE HEARD FROM EARLIER, FROM SPEAKING UP ABOUT THE ABUSE SHE FACED. BUT EVEN AFTER SHE FILED A CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT AGAINST GLADES, SHE SAID THAT NOTHING CHANGED.

MARIA: MARLISSA TOLD US THAT FOR NEARLY TWO MONTHS AFTER SHE FILED THE COMPLAINT, THE ACCUSED PSYCHIATRIST KEPT ON WORKING AT GLADES. 

MARLISSA: NOBODY WANTED TO BE IN THE OFFICE WITH HIM AGAIN. AND THEN THEY SAID THEY DIDN’T EVEN FIRE HIM. THEY SAID HE QUIT.

ZEBA: GLADES WAS FINALLY CLOSED IN APRIL 2022. BUT IT WASN’T BECAUSE OF THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINTS. IT WAS BECAUSE OF A CARBON MONOXIDE LEAK THAT ALMOST KILLED THREE PEOPLE.

MARIA: WHEN GLADES WAS CLOSED, ICE TRANSFERRED WOMEN TO THE BAKER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER – FIVE HOURS NORTH OF GLADES. AND MARLISSA WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE TRANSFERRED.

ZEBA: WHEN WE SPOKE TO MARLISSA, MONTHS AFTER SHE WAS TRANSFERRED TO BAKER, THE NEW FACILITY, SHE REGRETTED COMPLAINING ABOUT GLADES.

MARLISSA: OH MY GOSH, I SAY IT’S A HUNDRED TIMES WORSE. THE OFFICERS ARE MORE DISRESPECTFUL. IT’S LIKE, WE WENT FROM BAD TO WORSE.

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: SO WE ARE SEEING THAT ONE ICE DETENTION CENTER CLOSES THAT WOMEN ARE JUST TRANSFERRED AND THEN SEXUALLY ABUSED AND HARASSED AGAIN. AND THIS IS ACCORDING TO THEIR TESTIMONIES. WE SAW THIS FIRST IN GEORGIA AND NOW WITH MARLISSA’S STORY, WE’RE SEEING IT HAPPEN IN FLORIDA.

ZEBA: IT’S CLEAR THAT MOVING DETAINEES AROUND IS NOT KEEPING THEM SAFE. BUT AS OF NOW, ICE CONTINUES TO OPERATE AROUND 100 DETENTION FACILITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

MUSIC

ZEBA: DESPITE THE FEAR OF PUNISHMENT, MARLISSA AND FOUR OTHER WOMEN WROTE OPEN LETTERS ABOUT CONDITIONS AT BAKER COUNTY DETENTION CENTER, THAT’S THE SECOND FACILITY WHERE MARLISSA WAS TRANSFERRED TO AFTER GLADES IN FLORIDA.

THE WOMEN DETAILED SEXUAL ABUSE, VOYEURISM, MEDICAL NEGLECT, RACIAL SLURS, AND POOR SANITARY CONDITIONS AT BAKER. 

MARIA: IN FACT, UP TO HER VERY LAST DAYS IN DETENTION, MARLISSA KEPT ON CRITICIZING ICE.

MARLISSA: JUST BECAUSE WE ARE DETAINEE, THEY LOOK AT IT AS YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS. I FEEL LIKE THAT’S WHY THEY DON’T CARE. BUT IF ICE WILL STOP ALL THE TRANSFERS AND, AND PUT A STOP TO ALL OF THIS … BUT INSTEAD, ICE IS SO ADAMANT ABOUT KEEPING YOU AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY. AND IT’S, IT’S SAD.

ZEBA: IN FEBRUARY OF 2023, A BAKER GUARD CAME UP TO MARLISSA TO TAKE HER TO THE OFFICE. MARLISSA’S LAWYER TOLD US THAT SHE THOUGHT THAT SHE WAS FINALLY GOING TO BE RELEASED. INSTEAD, THAT SAME DAY, MARLISSA WAS DEPORTED BACK TO THE BAHAMAS, A COUNTRY THAT SHE BARELY REMEMBERS AND SHE HAS NO FAMILY IN. HER DREAM REMAINS TO COME BACK TO THE UNITED STATES.

MARIA: COMING UP ON LATINO USA, WE FOLLOW UP WITH VIVIANA AND MARI – THE WOMEN FROM VENEZUELA WHO SAY THEY WERE ABUSED AT THE STEWART DETENTION CENTER IN GEORGIA. WE FOLLOW THEM AS THEY CONTINUE THEIR FIGHT TO HOLD ICE ACCOUNTABLE. AND WE TRY TO GET ANSWERS FROM ICE AND CORECIVIC AS TO WHY COMPLAINTS ABOUT ALLEGED ABUSES CONTINUE TO HAPPEN UNDER THEIR CARE.

MARIA: STAY WITH US. NO TE VAYAS.

MUSIC ENDS

LUSA MUSIC TRANSITION

MARIA: HEY, WE’RE BACK. BEFORE THE BREAK, WE LEARNED HOW MARLISSA, JOSEPH, AND OTHER WOMEN HELD AT A DETENTION CENTER IN FLORIDA FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST A PSYCHIATRIST WHO THEY SAY ABUSED THEM. AFTER GLADES CLOSED, WOMEN LIKE MARLISSA WERE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER DETENTION FACILITY IN THE STATE WHERE SHE SAYS SHE WAS ALSO SEXUALLY HARASSED – A PATTERN THAT WE ALREADY SEEN PLAY OUT IN GEORGIA AS WELL.

SO ZEBA, CAN YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON VIVIANA AND MARI, THE VENEZUELAN WOMEN WE MET AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR STORY AND WHO WERE DETAINED AT STEWART, IN GEORGIA?

MUSIC

ZEBA: TWO DAYS BEFORE HER BIRTHDAY, IN DECEMBER OF 2021, VIVIANA WAS FINALLY RELEASED FROM STEWART.

VIVIANA: CUANDO YO SALGO DE ESE LUGAR, NI YO ME LO CREÍA. MI CUERPO Y MI MENTE ESTABA COMO, ¿DE VERDAD SALÍ?

ZEBA: AFTER BEING IN DETENTION FOR NEARLY THREE MONTHS THE FEELING OF BEING OUT OF STEWART WAS SURREAL.

ZEBA: VIVIANA MOVED TO TEXAS TO BE WITH HER FAMILY. HER MOM ORGANIZED A LITTLE PARTY WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. BUT VIVIANA WASN’T IN THE MOOD TO CELEBRATE. 

VIVIANA: MI MAMÁ ME ORGANIZÓ ALGO MUY BONITO. YO A MÍ ME HABLABAN Y YO ERA ASÍ, CALLADA.

MARIA: SHE SAYS THAT AS HER FAMILY GATHERED FOR THE OCCASION, SHE KEPT TO HERSELF AND REMAINED QUIET. HER MENTAL HEALTH WAS DEEPLY AFFECTED BY HER TIME IN DETENTION. SHE SAYS SHE SUFFERED FROM ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AND HAD FREQUENT NIGHTMARES. 

VIVIANA: ME DECÍAN COMO QUE YO HABÍA SALIDO LOCA. O SEA, COMO QUE NO ESTABA BIEN DE MI MENTE.

ZEBA: VIVIANA SAID THAT HER FAMILY TOLD HER THAT SHE WAS ACTING LIKE SHE WAS OUT OF HER MIND. FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. SHE SAYS THAT SHE HAS BEEN UNDER PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT.

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT MARI, THE OTHER VENEZUELAN WOMAN WHO WE HEARD FROM EARLIER. 

ZEBA: MARI WAS ALSO RELEASED. HER LEGAL TEAM TOLD US THAT THE RELEASE DOCUMENTS CITE SEVERE OBESITY.

MARIA: AND WHEN WE JUST MET YOU, YOU ARE THE FARTHEST THING FROM OBESE [MARIA CONTINUES]…

MARI: ELLOS ESTÁN TRATANDO DE CALLARME PORQUE [MARI CONTINUES]…

MARIA: MARI SUSPECTS THAT ICE, IN FACT, RELEASED HER IN ORDER TO SILENCE HER. BECAUSE SHE SAYS THERE WERE WOMEN AT STEWART WHO WERE BEING ABUSED BY THE SAME PERSON EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

SOUND EFFECTS – BIRDS SINGING

MARIA: THE DAY THAT MARI FINALLY LEFT STEWART, SHE REMEMBERS HEARING THE SOUNDS OF BIRDS. SHE SAYS SHE NEVER VALUED HER FREEDOM MORE THAN SHE DID ON THAT DAY, AND YET THE PAIN OF BEING DETAINED AND ABUSED HAS ALSO TAKEN A TOLL ON HER MENTAL HEALTH.

SOUND EFFECTS END

MUSIC

MARIA: AFTER THE ABUSE SHE DIDN’T RECOGNIZE HERSELF WHEN SHE LOOKED IN THE MIRROR.

MARI: LLEGUÉ A VERME EN EL ESPEJO Y LUCHAR CONMIGO Y VERME EN EL ESPEJO Y PENSAR: YO NO MEREZCO PONERME ESTA ROPA, YO NO MEREZCO PONERME ESTE MAQUILLAJE, PORQUE YO NO IMPORTO PORQUE ME SENTÍA TAN INMENSAMENTE INVISIBLE.

MARIA: MARI SAYS SHE STARTED TO BELIEVE THAT SHE DIDN’T HAVE A RIGHT TO WEAR NICE CLOTHES, TO PUT ON MAKEUP, TO EVEN BE FIT AGAIN. SHE SAYS SHE OFTEN FELT, LIKE SHE DIDN’T MATTER ANYMORE, THAT SHE WAS JUST IMMENSELY INVISIBLE.

ZEBA: THIS MONTH. IT’S BEEN ABOUT A YEAR SINCE VIVIANA AND MARI FILED THEIR PUBLIC SEXUAL ABUSE COMPLAINTS, BUT THERE’S STILL NO RESOLUTION. 

MUSIC ENDS

ZEBA: I HAVE BEEN REQUESTING AN INTERVIEW WITH ICE FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS TO ASK ABOUT WHAT THEY’VE BEEN DOING TO ADDRESS SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS, AND ALSO ABOUT MARI AND VIVIANA’S COMPLAINTS.

MARIA: AND WHAT’S HAPPENED?

ZEBA: MARIA, I ONLY GOT A WRITTEN RESPONSE, AND THIS IS PART OF WHAT IT SAYS…

MARIA: SO IT SAYS, “ICE HOLDS ITS PERSONNEL, INCLUDING CONTRACTORS TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR. THE AGENCY TAKES ALL ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT SERIOUSLY.”

I WOULD SAY THAT’S A PRETTY STANDARD STATEMENT, THEY’RE NOT REALLY SAYING ANYTHING DEEP HERE.

ZEBA: EXACTLY. AND BESIDES ICE, I HAVE ALSO TRIED INTERVIEWING CORECIVIC, THE PRIVATE PRISON COMPANY THAT MANAGES STEWART DETENTION CENTER.

IN AN EMAIL, A PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER OF CORECIVIC WROTE, IF A DETAINEE IS FOUND TO BE AT SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF IMMINENT SEXUAL ABUSE, IMMEDIATE ACTION IS TAKEN TO PROTECT THE INDIVIDUAL. ANY POTENTIALLY CRIMINAL ALLEGATION OF SEXUAL ABUSE IS IMMEDIATELY REFERRED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SHARED WITH OUR GOVERNMENT PARTNER.

MARIA: SO WHAT DID HAPPEN TO THE MALE NURSE THAT MARI AND VIVIANA SAY SEXUALLY ABUSED THEM, AFTER ALL?

ZEBA: WELL, THE ACCUSED NURSE DOESN’T WORK AT STEWART ANYMORE. CORECIVIC CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS PUT ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE IN AUGUST OF 2022, EIGHT MONTHS AFTER VIVIANA AND MARI SAY THEY WERE ABUSED.

ZEBA: BUT SO FAR HIS LICENSE HAS NOT BEEN REVOKED. IN FACT, I HAVE TRIED CALLING HIM SEVERAL TIMES. WE’VE SENT HIM OUR QUESTIONS, BUT WE’VE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. WE ALSO ASKED ICE AND CORECIVIC IF THE NURSE IS STILL RECEIVING ANY BENEFITS OR IF HE REMAINS EMPLOYED AT ANOTHER FACILITY, BUT THEY DID NOT RESPOND. 

MUSIC

ZEBA: FOR NOW, STEWART DETENTION CENTER IS STILL IN OPERATION AND IS STILL DETAINING IMMIGRANTS.

MARIA: SO ZEBA, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALSO HASN’T CHANGED IN MY DECADES OF REPORTING ON THIS ISSUE IS THAT THE INSTITUTIONS AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL SIMPLY SAY, ‘WE CAN’T RESPOND.’ IT’S A WAY IN WHICH THEY CONTINUE TO NOT DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT WE ARE UNCOVERING THESE KINDS OF ABUSES.

ZEBA: ABSOLUTELY, MARIA. AND I CAN IMAGINE YOUR FRUSTRATION HAVING REPORTED ON THIS ISSUE FOR SO MANY YEARS, BECAUSE I HAVE FELT IT. OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, SO MANY EMAILS THAT I’VE WRITTEN TO ICE, SO MANY EMAILS THAT I’VE WRITTEN TO CORECIVIC, ASKING THEM WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS THAT THESE WOMEN ARE RAISING. BUT IT’S BEEN SO TOUGH TO GET THROUGH TO THEM.

MARIA: IT’S A WAY IN WHICH IT BECOMES AN INSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM AND WE GET BRUSHED OFF. AND YET, YOU KNOW, THE STORY CONTINUES. 

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: SO, WE DECIDED TO CATCH UP WITH MARI TO SEE HOW SHE FEELS ABOUT THE FACT THAT FOR HER, THERE’S STILL NO RESOLUTION TO HER COMPLAINT.

AMBI OF PROTEST 

MARIA: MARI TOLD US THAT SHE HAS FOUND SOLACE IN BECOMING AN ACTIVIST. 

AMBI OF MARI SPEAKING AT PROTEST

MARI: YO CREO QUE CADA UNO DE LOS SOBREVIVIENTES TENEMOS UNA HISTORIA. Y ESTA ES LA MÍA. 

MARIA: SHE TRAVELED BACK TO GEORGIA LAST YEAR TO ATTEND A SHUTDOWN STEWART PROTEST.

MARI: ¿QUE MÁS ME VA MOTIVAR QUE YO MISMA QUE DECIRLES?: ‘HEY, ESTOY AQUÍ, FUI YO LA QUE TÚ LE HICISTE ESO SOY YO. MÍRAME. AQUÍ ESTOY. NO ME MATASTE. AQUÍ ESTOY.’

MARIA: MARI SAYS THAT HER BIGGEST MOTIVATION IS TO TELL ICE: I’M HERE, YOU DID THIS TO ME, LOOK AT ME. YOU DIDN’T KILL ME. I’M HERE.  

MUSIC

ZEBA: AND VIVIANA ALSO DEMANDS THE CLOSURE OF STEWART DETENTION CENTER.

ZEBA: WHAT DOES JUSTICE LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? 

VIVIANA: LA JUSTICIA PARA MÍ SERÍA ESE HOMBRE NO EXISTA MÁS DENTRO DE ESE CENTRO DE DETENCIÓN Y DE NINGÚN OTRO.

MARIA: VIVIANA WANTS THE NURSE TO BE BROUGHT TO CRIMINAL COURT. AND THAT HE SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO WORK IN ANY DETENTION CENTER AGAIN.

ZEBA: THE GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, OR GBI, TOOK VIVIANA AND MARI’S CASE LAST YEAR. GBI TOLD US THAT IT HAS COMPLETED ITS INVESTIGATION AND SUBMITTED ITS FINDING TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE. THE DA’S OFFICE DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR QUESTIONS. NEITHER MARI NOR VIVIANA OR OTHER COMPLAINANTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN UPDATE YET. 

ZEBA: MEANWHILE, MARI FEARS THAT THE NURSE IS OUT THERE AND FREE.

MARI: NO SOY YO SOLAMENTE, SOMOS MUCHAS.

ZEBA: VIVIANA AND MARI HAVE BECOME EACH OTHER’S SUPPORT SYSTEM.

MARI: HEMOS TRATADO DE UNIRNOS. A VECES, PUES LA VIDA COTIDIANA O SENCILLAMENTE EL TRAUMA COMO TAL NOS SEPARA DE NO QUERER RECORDAR.

MARIA: MARI SAYS THEY TRY TO KEEP IN TOUCH, BUT TELLS US SOMETIMES THE TRAUMA JUST GETS IN THE WAY OF THEM BECOMING CLOSER. THEY DON’T WANNA RELIVE THEIR TIME AT STEWART BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY BOTH UNDERSTAND WHAT EACH OTHER WENT THROUGH.

MARI: CREO QUE ES BUENO SENTIR QUE, QUE ALGUIEN TE ENTIENDE.

MUSIC ENDS

MARIA: WHEN WE LAST SPOKE TO MARI, IN MAY, SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM FACIAL PARALYSIS. SHE SAYS HER DOCTOR SAYS IT’S CAUSED BY CUMULATIVE STRESS, INCLUDING HER TIME AT STEWART.

ZEBA: BUT ONCE SHE RECOVERS, SHE HOPES TO START WORKING OUT AGAIN.

MARI: ES UNA MANERA DE TERAPIA PARA MÍ, SÍ LO ES.

ZEBA: IT IS A FORM OF THERAPY FOR HER. MARI JOKES ABOUT GETTING INTO BODYBUILDING AGAIN AND EVEN COMPETING. SOME OF HER FRIENDS ARE CHEERING HER ON. 

MARIA: AS FOR VIVIANA, SHE HAS A BIG REASON TO KEEP GETTING STRONGER, TO HEAL. AND THAT’S BECAUSE SHE RECENTLY HAD HER FIRST BABY.

VIVIANA: ES UN SENTIMIENTO INDESCRIPTIBLE. NO TIENE UNA DEFINICIÓN. CREO QUE MI HIJA LLEGÓ PARA CALMAR MUCHAS COSAS QUE NO ESTABAN BIEN EN MÍ.

MARIA: SHE FELT THAT HER BABY ARRIVED JUST AT THE RIGHT TIME. HER DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY HAVE EASED A LITTLE, BUT SHE STILL WANTS TO GO BACK TO THERAPY.

ZEBA: VIVIANA HAS SENT US PHOTOS OF THE BABY VIA TEXT, AND THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

IN THE PHOTO, THE BABY’S EYES ARE CLOSED WHILE SUCKING ON AN AQUAMARINE PACIFIER. SHE’S DRAPED IN A TINY PINK KNITTED HAT. MARI’S ALSO SO HAPPY FOR HER FRIEND.

MARI: SÍ, YA NACIÓ SU BEBÉ. ESTÁ HERMOSA. SIEMPRE TRATO DE ESTAR AL PENDIENTE DE ELLA. SIEMPRE TRATO DE QUE NO SE SIENTA SOLA.

MARIA: SHE SAYS, VIVIANA’S BABY GIRL IS JUST BEAUTIFUL. AND SHE SAYS SHE TRIES TO WATCH OUT FOR VIVIANA SO THAT SHE DOESN’T FEEL SO ALONE. 

MUSIC

MARIA: WHILE BOTH WOMEN ARE IN A VERY PUBLIC BATTLE OVER THEIR CASES, MANY SEXUAL ABUSE COMPLAINTS ARE STILL WAITING TO BE INVESTIGATED.

WILL THERE BE CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR THE STAFF WHO WAS ACCUSED OF COMMITTING ABUSES? 

HOW WILL THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY STEP IN TO INVESTIGATE? 

AND ABOVE ALL, WHAT MEASURES WILL ICE TAKE TO PREVENT THIS FROM CONTINUING TO HAPPEN? 

I’VE BEEN REPORTING ON THESE TYPES OF ABUSES FOR OVER A DECADE, AND ZEBA IS DOING IT NOW. AND MORE REPORTERS, WE HOPE, WILL CONTINUE TO DO THIS KIND OF REPORTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION.

MEANWHILE, VIVIANA, MARI AND MARLISSA, ALONG WITH OTHER WOMEN, CONTINUE THEIR PERSONAL JOURNEYS TO SPEAK OUT AND TO HEAL. 

MUSIC ENDS

LUSA THEME MUSIC

CREDITS

MARIA: ‘IMMENSELY INVISIBLE’ IS AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES IN COLLABORATION WITH LATINO USA. THIS EPISODE WAS REPORTED BY ZEBA WARSI AND MYSELF. 

OUR SENIOR PRODUCER WAS ROXANNE SCOTT. ROXANNA AGUIRRE AND SOFÍA SÁNCHEZ WERE OUR ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS. 

THIS EPISODE WAS EDITED BY MARTA MARTINEZ. FACT CHECKING BY AMY TARDIF. SCORING AND SOUND DESIGN BY JACOB ROSATI. MIXING BY STEPHANIE LEBOW AND GABRIELA BAEZ.

PENILEY RAMÍREZ IS THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF FUTURO INVESTIGATES, ALONG WITH MYSELF. 

NANCY TRUJILLO AND RAUL PEREZ-HINOJOSA ARE OUR PROJECT MANAGERS. GLORIMAR MARQUEZ IS OUR PRODUCTION ASSISTANT. OUR PRODUCTION ASSISTANT INTERN IS LUISA SUKKAR.

THE LATINO USA TEAM ALSO INCLUDES:

ANDREA LÓPEZ-CRUZADO

MIKE SARGENT

DAISY CONTRERAS

VICTORIA ESTRADA

REYNALDO LEAÑOS JR.

PATRICIA SULBARÁN

AND ELIZABETH LOEWENTHAL TORRES.

OUR EDITORIAL DIRECTOR IS FERNANDA SANTOS.

OUR SENIOR ENGINEER IS JULIA CARUSO. OUR ASSOCIATE ENGINEER IS JJ QUERUBIN.

OUR MARKETING MANAGER IS LUIS LUNA.

OUR THEME MUSIC WAS COMPOSED BY XENIA RUBINOS.

I’M YOUR HOST AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MARIA HINOJOSA. 

TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ‘IMMENSELY INVISIBLE’ AND TO READ OUR ARTICLES, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE, FUTURO INVESTIGATES.ORG. AGAIN THAT’S FUTUROINVESTIGATES.ORG. 

JOIN US AGAIN ON OUR NEXT EPISODE. IN THE MEANTIME, LOOK FOR US ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

REMEMBER, NO TE VAYAS. Y HASTA LA PRÓXIMA. CIAO.

LUSA THEME MUSIC ENDS

UNDERWRITING CREDITS

LATINO USA IS MADE POSSIBLE BY, IN PART BY, PUBLIC WELFARE FOUNDATION – CATALYZING TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACHES TO JUSTICE THAT ARE COMMUNITY-LED, RESTORATIVE AND RACIALLY JUST. 

W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION – A PARTNER WITH COMMUNITIES WHERE CHILDREN COME FIRST.

AND THE TOW FOUNDATION.

Back to Top