Haitian X-rayed in age inquiry

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Fri, Nov. 07, 2003

IMMIGRATION
Haitian X-rayed in age inquiry
Seeking to test a claim that a detained Haitian migrant is a minor, U.S. authorities order wrist X-rays and ask questions on his life history, irking immigrant-rights advocates.
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
[e-mail]

Still unconvinced that Haitian migrant Ernesto Joseph is a minor, immigration authorities have had his wrist X-rayed to try to determine his age and have asked him whether he remembers the name of the person who baptized him, his lawyers say.

Earlier this week, the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement also sent a letter to Joseph's attorneys asking for their help in obtaining his baptismal record and information on the specific place where his parents are buried.

Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, which represents Joseph, said the wrist X-ray was ordered by immigration authorities to see whether Joseph's bone structure is that of a 16-year-old or an older person. Such tests, she argued in a memo she drafted to them, are deemed ''inherently unreliable'' by the scientific community.

''We believe the Department of Homeland Security has an abundance of evidence to reasonably conclude Ernesto is 16 and yet he remains a virtual prisoner in his hotel room while DHS insists on continuing its investigation,'' Little said in a telephone interview. Joseph was among 214 migrants whose boat ran aground near Key Biscayne on Oct. 29, 2002. (snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/7206400.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our gummint has kept this boy locked up for ages, since he came here in an overstuffed boat with other Haitians, most of whom have been deported.

He's an orphan. They're trying to find a way to pitch him outta here.

If he were a Cuban, coming here from 90 miles away, rather than 600 miles, he'd already have been moved through the system, and getting his own food stamps, and provisions for Section 8 (taxpayer subsidized) Housing, social security arrangements, etc., etc.

As has been written many times, Cuban immigration is no more urgent than immigration from other Caribbean nations, or some Latin American countries. This situation needs to be corrected, and drained of its corruption.

[BuckeFushe]

1. Gee, when did the budget allow for this type of detention of innocents?

"he remains a virtual prisoner in his hotel room while DHS insists on continuing its investigation,'' Little said in a telephone interview. Joseph was among 214 migrants whose boat ran aground near Key Biscayne on Oct. 29, 2002."

So immigration has had him locked up for a year, no schooling, virtually no contact with the outside world (assumed), and now we pay for wrist xrays to satisfy the prejudices of a lifer agent on top of food and shelter, clothes, medical care?


Makes perfect sense to me.

[sharonstone]

2. Some silly Ididots

<P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="" WIDTH="250" HEIGHT="369" BORDER="0" ALT="A letter I found in a fireproof shoebox">
<BR>

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. Body growth does not correlate with age in any given individual

In general, perhaps one migh be able to make generalizations, but body growth cannot determine one's age. I didn't hit puberty until I was at least 18 years old - not even slightly. I was 5'2" when I started college and not a pubic hair in sight, nor would my wrist bones have been developed like an 18 year old's. My lecturers thought I was a lost child from the school next door. I looked like I was no more than 12 years old.

Click Here To See Fair & Balanced Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[BuckeFushe]

4. My daughter is 14, and she looks 24

6 ft. tall, I can picture it now

"you're not 14, we want to xray you". Over my dead body.

[MrPrax]

5. Maybe the kid...

should change his name to Elian