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Dear John,
Today, Pastor Steven faces an anniversary no one should — two years locked up by immigration officials. Help us generate massive pressure on ICE to demand his release: He must be safe and he must be freed now.
An ordained minister and human rights activist, Pastor Steven led a campaign in Uganda that assisted political prisoners and supported voting rights, in response to government repression and corruption in the country. In response, security forces detained him multiple times and tortured him, amputating two of his fingers.
When he went into hiding, some of his family members were killed by government forces. Facing further threats and attacks on his life and his family, Pastor Steven had no choice but to flee for safety.
He came to the U.S. exactly two years ago and asked for asylum. But instead of finding protection, he was locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Port Isabel Service Processing Center in Los Fresnos, Texas.
Under ICE’s watch, his health rapidly deteriorated. He went blind in one eye, lost vision in the other, experienced numbness and tingling in his extremities, and suffered from recurring boils on his body.
On this horrific two-year anniversary, we are ramping our calls to ICE to free Pastor Steven so he doesn’t spend the holidays, or another single day, behind bars.
John, your activism can help free Pastor Steven — Amnesty supporters like you have already made a positive impact on his case. In early fall, he was nearly deported back to Uganda, where he would have likely been killed upon arrival according to a Ugandan official’s court declaration... But thanks to pressure on ICE from lawmakers and activists like you from around the world, we convinced ICE to let him stay here until the court hears the appeal on his asylum claim.
However, he remains detained in danger with a compromised immune system, in a facility where over 200 people have tested positive for COVID-19. He must be released so he can pursue the right to seek asylum without facing the daily dangers and risks of being locked up during a pandemic.
ACT NOW » we must overwhelm ICE with messages demanding his release today. Please, send your letter now.
Thank you for your activism to help Pastor Steven find safety and freedom.
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