THE EDITOR: I wish to bring to your attention the detention of my 17-year-old daughter in the United States of America. She boarded a Continental flight at Piarco International airport on the night of Monday 5th July, 2010, at 9 p.m. to catch a connecting flight from New Jersey to Maryland. Upon arriving at the Immigration Transportation Hub at Newark International she was detained and remains so at present.
Upon being informed through a hysterical call from her that she had been detained at the airport early the next morning (Tuesday 6th July, 2010), I contacted relatives residing in New York to hastily travel to Newark to resolve the unknown situation. They are yet to see my daughter. Instead they were given the ‘run around’, having met with three different individuals who claimed to have no knowledge of having detained anyone by that name. Only after determined efforts to speak with a supervisor did someone then notify them that she had been put on a returning flight to Trinidad – some three hours after they arrived.
At 3 a.m. on the morning of Wednesday 6th July, 2010, I was awakened by my daughter’s frightened sobbing, notifying me that she was told that she would be going somewhere in San Francisco and that should her birthday arrive and she turn 18years of age, that she would then be sent to a facility for adult illegal immigrants and detained there for a year before being allowed to return to Trinidad and Tobago.
Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to save the number from which she made the call and after repeated attempts to contact her at the number, it was apparent that it was the Hampton Inn, Room #433 in Franklin, Illinois, at which she had been made to stay the night. A call to the number 1-847-671-1700 at 1:30 p.m. eventually resulted in the discovery that not only was my daughter no longer at the Inn but she had been removed from there since ‘earlier that morning’. Further questioning proved futile with regard to getting an exact time of departure.
As of Thursday 8th July, 2010, at 8:43 a.m., I have been told by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago that she is now being referred to as Alien # 87944457 and has been transferred to the Southwest Key Programme, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 where she has been forced to remove her braids to check for lice, to remove her newly done nails (a gift for her graduation) and her earrings. She has been begging to return to Trinidad since her initial detention at Newark International and has been ignored. I am in the process of contacting as many law firms as possible in California to seek legal counsel as any fool can see that this whole process was in violation of my daughter’s fundamental rights. Why was she not placed on a return flight to Trinidad and instead whisked away secretly across state lines? Thus far she has been allowed a ten minute phone call (sounds familiar, as in the phone call given to prisoners upon their incarceration) on Wednesday night during which I had to endure her tormented pleas to return home. She is confused as to why she is in this position and further is being treated as though a hardened criminal. I view this entire fiasco as a blatant mistreatment of a minor. She has committed no crime; her luggage has been returned to Piarco since Wednesday 7th July, 2010. When will someone take a stand and ask questions as to what goes on when relatives travel abroad and their rights are infringed?
I wish to point out that American citizens are treated with respect, and courtesy when they enter any part of the world and I fail to see why the Department of Homeland Security, the U. S. Customs and Border Patrol finds it necessary to bully, torment and wrongfully detain a minor who has already been through so many personal trials and was simply hoping to have a vacation after not having done so for so many years.
Is there no accountability in the United States of America? Who are guarding these Customs and Border Patrol officials? Is this the way that visitors can expect to be treated based on the whim or fancy of the interrogating officer? Is it that parents/guardians have no rights? What of my distress at not knowing what has become of my daughter? Does the Border Patrol have any and all liberty to mistreat minors or those who cannot defend themselves or their good name in the name of National Security?
I beg you and anyone who is in a position to help, please, help me in finding my daughter. My concern as a parent and citizen of Trinidad and Tobago is to the welfare of my child, a minor, who has not committed any crime, traveling abroad alone, to be treated in such an inhumane and criminal manner. She will soon be 18, what will become of her then? Please investigate, spread the word. Please help me.
Thanking you in advance for any consideration or assistance you may offer.
Respectfully,
Ms. McCarter.
lisastan01@gmail.com
All yuh real dotish yes,before all yuh grab your pitch forks and linch someone find out first if a this story is true.This woman making fools out of all of all yuh.Go back and read some of the stupidness some people posting.How is the airline responsible?
We don’t even know what really happened.
I heard of someone they detained at Newark about two yrs ago but that person stayed there at the detention for about three months untill they send her back to Trinidad. I dont understand why they moving this young woman all over the place so. Why didnt they just send her back to Trinidad? Something just doesnt add up something is wrong with this picture.
I had also written that we seem to immediately take the BULLY’S side by BLAMING ourselves. Many have made excuses as to WHY it must of been the girl’s fault etc etc. Maybe it was the part of letting Jewish TERRORIST to walk free AFTER tiefing Trinidad Documents and causing mayhem that you didn’t like. Too bad. It doesn’t CHANGE anything.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:32 Blacksungod Bible
Really, or does it depends on who is talking , listening , asking , or responding to prying questions?
Now here is a conspiracy that can wake me up enough to make a commentary,long after this time wasting ,snoozer runs it’s course. Are you saying Cee that there just might be other people , groups, ethnicities , and even races , with any semblance of influence in my loving country Trinidad and Tobago ,outside of the highly competitive ,and socially divided ,dominant majority that are comprise of Africans, and Indians?
While we are at it ,in throwing around possible erroneous stories, here is one for you as well, that is being played out in corridors of power of big brother America, and another maligned sector of the Global South.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/201071502034599551.html
In both instances ,I am reminded of a situation that occurred at my Christian High School a few moons ago, in that continuing national disgraceful , insignificant , neglected , unmentionable enclave of my country. I think I was at the time ,a 13 or 14 tiny bitty kid, in Form two , or three , but the story remains vivid in my memory , as if it was yesterday. My school had a very sound reputation for striving to maintain high morals ,exemplary acts of behaviors , and sound values by us students.
Against this backdrop ,our happily married , and popular Chaplain ,was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a female fellow students. In his response before the school population ,in explanatory defense of his character, he said the following: “ Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear.”
Not too sure what total impact ,such had on us young impressionable characters at the time, but today finds myself holding a slightly unfavorable attitude to folks who are ‘footloose and fancy free,’ when it comes to telling ‘the truth, the whole truth , and nothing but the truth- so help me Blacksungod.
Let’s keep dem honest, shall we?
WHO is drilling our oil and gas? is it US? Who is running our postal services, where you can even get a mail registered etc etc, is it US?
Why are we comfortable and happy to say and believe that this child’s family will lie about SOMETHING like this? WHO in their right mind would wish or want THIS to happen to their child?
AND the jew TERRORIST is a reality that took place in T’dad aound 2005. Look in the T’dad news archives. I guess they lie too and it was all made up.
Ms. McCarter. I can sympathize with your situation. Believe it or not there is another incident similiar to you daughter of a 14 year old who is being detained in the same manner. And NO, she did did not have drugs or do anything otherwise illegal. She was going to attend her cousins birthday party in Miami. This child attends Bishops Antsey High School in Trinidad, she is no dummy. This child was flown from Miami to Houston, and placed in a UAC (unaccompanied Minor) holding facility. Why?? Because there was an open bed. The US is placing these children anywhere, with no regard to family location. We have been on the phone with the Miami Consulate, the Trinidad Consulate in Washington DC; the childs mother visited President in Trinidad to try to seek some assistance.
All of the skeptics have to understand the the US has outsourced much of their immigration tasks to private institutions and this is a money making issue. We tried to tell the “powers that be” to send the child back to Trinidad. Instead she is housed in a facility that is getting paid 800.00 to “keep her safe”. We learned of this childs (Ms. McCarters daughter) plight while speaking to the Consulate in DC about our own incident. I tried to contact Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee’s office, but they wouldn’t speak with us because we are not one of their constituents. Ms. Edwards If you have some leverage to assist with Ms. Jackson contacting and assisting us. Please let us know. I’ve contacted Quanell X and anyone else I could think of. Believe me, I will go forward contacting anyone and everyone on behalf of these two young ladies. Skeptics find some other issue to be synical, anyone else please help by writing the consulate in DC, MIAMI, NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA, and anywhere else. I am in the process of sending letters off to President and First Lady Obama, the governor of Texas and California. Please help by doing the same in support of our cause. Oh, when we spoke to the attorney assigned to the child here in Texas, she was very sympathetic to our cause, but responded that they really don’t have a process for dealing with people that want to leave the US only those that want to stay… That was part of the Problem. We assured her that children from Trinidad 9 times out of 10 would want to go back home, so they had better use our case as the template for any children that want to be returned to their respective countries.
WOW! jew terrorism line in the “big” and “bold” on front page, hahahahahaa!! If you Gave THAT amount attentiom to it . It must irk. To bad ’cause in spite of taking down news articles about it on the net and closing web-sites ( which you personally couldn’t do ). I already had ALL the news items and related matters. I have also sent thses to other people, who have done the same in turn. NOW, if we did THIS kind of networking to try and HELP our national abroad so much the better. Instead of wringing our collect hands over the truth of this unfortunate child.
I suppose, guess who running our internet service, is it us?
Is it legal to smoke marijuana in Trinidad and Tobago as yet? If not, then why is Cee sounding and behaving like a half crazy weed smoker , who lives for this destructive herbon a daily basis for survival , and so indulges in it for tea ,lunch ,and dinner? Enough with these ramblings Cee, did you notice that the alleged mom and daughter victims have virtually disappeared, just like an on line computer virus? It is just funny how Trinis fall for anything.
What next Cee, and similar comedians friends ,are you guys saying that you also believe fast talking Rammy, and his twinkle toes dancing PM ,when they say during another fear mongering , ill conceive ,electioneering gambit , that our country is broke, simply due to the fact that the PNM was in charge for the past 15 years,that they were in the political wilderness?
SO a jew terrorist didn’t bomb Port-of SPain? WEED smoking? Perhaps it is YOU. If you could simply DISMISS this child and her family to this unfortunate faith, then it is you my Beloved T’dadian that is high!!
Perhaps life in T’dad has become SO CHEAP with all the kidnappings , murder etc that we have now become immune to tragedy.
Perhaps we can learn from this and fly with our children to the U.S. so that we can avoid the confusion. Millions of people fly into the U.S. everyday and nothing like this happens. Save the conspiracy theory. When it is all worked out we will get the true story. Until then, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
I don’t think that this family view their child and her experience as a Conspiracy. “When it workes out”. Go and TELL THAT to this frightened child in some criminal facility IN the Us. We have been in the “when it works out” mode for SO long that x – years later we still DON’T even have running water as a basic amenity. I guess that will work out too.