Art by Mark Goodman

Asylum seekers fearing death at home find only prison and discrimination in the U.S.

Four hundred and sixty-two. That’s how many days Mishkat Sarkar has been in America. That’s how many days he’s been in immigration detention, including the last 15 months in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora. If you’re reading this after Feb. 18, it’s been longer.

Sarkar left his home country of Bangladesh on Sept. 2, 2014 after experiencing months of physical and political threats by those who he says are members of the ruling Awami League political party. He crossed 17 borders to get to the U.S., traveling from South Asia to South America by plane, and the rest of the way by bus, taxi, boat and on foot. He crossed the U.S. border on Nov. 13, 2014, and immediately claimed asylum after which he was put in immigration detention where he has remained ever since.

I have spoken with Sarkar several times by phone over the past two months. His voice is often despondent, with apparent frustration and sadness about his recent life. He calls me (as I have no access to contact him) from the Aurora facility. ICE contracts with the publicly traded company, GEO Group, Inc., to run the for-profit private facility. The GEO Group receives approximately $160 of federal funds per day per detainee.

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